Pope Leo calls for an end to violence against Palestinians in West Bank

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy - Pope Leo called on Sunday for an end to violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, amid a surge of attacks by militant settlers and a siege in the territory's village of Qusra.

Israeli settlers encircled houses after cutting off water and electricity, in what rights groups have said is a concerted effort to seize more land, and further eat into territory where Palestinians aim to establish a state.

"I renew my appeal for an end to the repeated violence against the Palestinian civilian population in the West Bank," the Pope said, without mentioning specific confrontations or attacks.

"I urgently ask the international community to take action so as to advance the two-state solution, for a fair and lasting peace," the Pope added after noon prayers at his Castel Gandolfo residence outside Rome.

The Vatican has long backed the idea of a future Palestinian state, which has been recognised by more than 150 of 193 U.N. member states as encompassing the Gaza Strip and West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition government has overseen massive settlement construction in the West Bank that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says is aimed at burying the idea of such a state.

The United Nations and most governments consider the settlements to be illegal under international law related to military occupation. Israel seized the West Bank in the 1967 war, but argues the territory is disputed rather than occupied.

-Reporting by Valentina Za; Editing by Andrew Heavens/Reuters