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Pope Leo XIV Urges Two-State Solution Amid West Bank Violence

8/16/2026

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Summary

Pope Leo XIV Urges Peace

Pope Leo XIV called for an end to West Bank violence against Palestinians and urged a two-state solution during the Angelus prayer at Castel Gandolfo on Aug 16 2026.
He condemned repeated attacks on Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.
The Vatican, which recognized Palestine in 2015 with a Comprehensive Agreement backing a two-state solution, said Pope Leo XIV met Israel’s and Palestine’s presidents separately in 2025 to discuss it.

Summary

Netanyahu Approves Settlements

Yesh Din reports that 94% of settler-violence investigations since 2005 end without indictment, with only 3% leading to convictions.
More than 700,000 Israeli settlers live in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says settlement expansion aims to “bury” a Palestinian state.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government approved over 100 new West Bank settlements this year, which peace leaders deem illegal.

History

Historical Context

The Oslo Accords, signed on 13 September 1993 under U.S. mediation by Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat, created the Palestinian Authority and set a five-year interim ending in May 1999. While the accords envisioned limited Israeli withdrawal, settlements grew from about 115,700 to 203,000 homes by 2000, and by 2023 the PA controls roughly 40 % of the West Bank.

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Pope Leo XIV Urges Peace

Pope Leo XIV called for an end to West Bank violence against Palestinians and urged a two-state solution during the Angelus prayer at Castel Gandolfo on Aug 16 2026.
He condemned repeated attacks on Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.
The Vatican, which recognized Palestine in 2015 with a Comprehensive Agreement backing a two-state solution, said Pope Leo XIV met Israel’s and Palestine’s presidents separately in 2025 to discuss it.

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