(NewsNation) — With recent stories of Israeli settler violence against Palestinians, Pope Leo XIV has renewed his calls for peace and an end to violence.
“I renew my appeal for an end to the ongoing violence against the Palestinian civilian population in the West Bank, and I urgently call on the international community to work toward advancing the two-state solution, for a just and lasting peace,” the pope wrote in a statement on X.
Previously in 2025, the pope called on Israel to stop the “collective punishment” and forced displacement of the Palestinians living in Gaza, and also called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire as well as for Israel to allow humanitarian aid to make it into the territory.
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More than 700,000 Israeli settlers live in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also approved more than 100 new settlements in the region as well, something peace leaders consider to be illegal and an obstacle to achieving peace.
With that, the Associated Press reports that extremist settlers routinely enter Palestinian towns, clashing with villagers, burning homes, mosques and cars.
Yesh Din, an Israeli rights group, says around 94% of investigations into settler violence since 2005 have ended without an indictment, with just 3% leading to full or partial convictions.
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