Pope Leo XIV Calls for End to Violence Against Palestinian Civilians in West Bank
In a message posted on X on August 17, Pope Leo XIV urged an end to violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and called on the international community to move toward a two-state solution
Pope Leo XIV has renewed his call for an end to the violence affecting the Palestinian civilian population in the West Bank. In a message published on the platform X on August 17, the pope urged the international community to work toward a two-state solution leading to a just and lasting peace.
"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 move toward the two-state solution, for a just and lasting peace," the pope said. The Palestinian news agency Wafa has reported Israeli attacks in Gaza and the West Bank, coinciding with an increase in the arrival of Israeli settlers.
Israel rejects U.S. peace plan
Israel has rejected the 15-point peace plan proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, which seeks to de-escalate the conflict in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli forces will not withdraw from the enclave until Hamas is effectively disarmed.
"Israel rejects the 15-point document," Netanyahu said during a cabinet meeting, referring to the proposal that Hamas endorsed in late July, according to Israeli media. He said the Israeli military "will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is genuinely disarmed and will continue to thwart threats against our forces and our citizens."
Netanyahu is under pressure from his far-right coalition partners, who are demanding a new cabinet vote to abandon the peace plan, and he faces a competitive election race according to polls. He said Israel remains in talks with Washington on the matter. "They have ideas; some of them are acceptable to us, and others are not, and we know how to hold our position on these issues," he said.
Details of the Trump plan
Trump's 15-point framework proposes a phased strategy to end the conflict in Gaza, with stated objectives of disarmament and political reconfiguration. The plan includes the disarmament of armed factions, the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the transfer of governance of the strip to a Palestinian technocratic body, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.
Under the proposal, heavy weapons, arms depots, military sites and tunnels would come under the control of that committee, while an international stabilization force would be deployed to separate Israeli troops from Palestinian-administered areas. Israeli forces would then withdraw in stages, allowing reconstruction and a long-term political process toward Palestinian self-determination.
Violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank has increased, according to reports from human rights organizations and local news agencies, while the arrival of new Israeli settlers continues.
