Pope Leo Tells Israeli President Two-State Solution 'Is The Only Way'

Pope Leo XIV met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, and released a statement after the “cordial discussions” that called for the resumption of negotiations, the liberation of hostages held in Gaza, and a permanent ceasefire.

President Herzog was received with the protocol due a head of state as his motorcade arrived at the Apostolic Palace, He was escorted by ceremonial Swiss Guards. 
 

While a Vatican statement noted that Herzog came “at the invitation of the pope,” papal spokesman Matteo Bruni appeared to dispute that. Bruni stated on Tuesday, “It is the practice of the Holy See to grant requests for audiences addressed to the pope by heads of state and government; it is not the practice to extend invitations to them.” Ahead of the meeting, the Israeli leader’s office declared that the conversations with Pope Leo and Vatican diplomats would center on the release of hostages, the safeguarding of Christians in the Middle East, and the global rise in antisemitism.
 

Hamas took 251 hostages during the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack, which also claimed the lives of about  1,200 people. Israel has conducted aerial bombardment and a ground offensive since October 2023. While the majority of the hostages have been released or rescued, of the 50 still unaccounted for, Israeli officials about 20 are still alive. A number of hostages were murdered by the captors.
 

Herzog met with Pope Leo, as well as chief Vatican advisor Cardinal Pietro Parolin and chief diplomat Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, an Englishman. 
 

A salient part of the Vatican statement touched upon resolving the decades-old controversy over the status of governance in Gaza, Judea, and Samaria. “Consideration was also given to how to guarantee a future for the Palestinian people, as well as to peace and stability in the Region, with the Holy See reiterating that the two-State solution is the only path forward to end the present war. Reference was likewise made to the situation in the West Bank and to the important question of the City of Jerusalem.”
 

The West Bank is the territory just west of the Jordan River, which was seized by Israel during the 1967 war following an attack by Jordan. It has been administered by Israeli forces ever since as a semi-autonomous entity. Gaza has been ruled by the terrorist Hamas organization since 2006 and Israel’s abandonment of the territory. Hamas is supported by Iran, as is Hezbollah in Lebanon.
 

Currently, Israel does not support the notion of two states, although it has supported the two-state solution in the past. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has objected to a Palestinian state at least twice, while former Israeli prime ministers Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert in late 2023 expressed support for it. Critics of the two-state solution have noted that the Palestinian Authority, the de jure ruling government in Gaza and sectors of the West Bank, has been recognized by 146 countries, and  has received billions of dollars in aid from the United States, European Union, and the United Nations for decades. Hamas retains de facto control in Gaza and not only attacked Israel in October 2023, but had engaged in firing missiles and terrorist raids for decades.

Israeli armed forces are currently in control of sectors of western Syria, where Christians and Druze have taken refuge after being subjected to ethnic cleansing by Muslim jihadis. 

"Tomorrow marks the 700th day since our brothers and sisters were kidnapped," Herzog told Pope Leo: "We must do everything to return them as quickly as possible." Herzog affirmed that he spoke to the pontiff and advisors about antisemitism, the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and the protection of Christians and Druze communities in the wider region. "We talked about the Christian denominations and Christian communities in the Middle East, in Jude and Samaria, in Gaz, and of coursein the State of Israel - a very important and sensitive issue." He continued, "I reiterated Israel's clear commitment to freedom of religion, worship, and, of course, to the development and protection of Christian communities in the Holy Land." Herzog has been quite clear in the past about the status of Christians living in the State of Israel, having repudiated violence committed by Jewish extremists.  

Here below is the full Vatican statement: 
 

“Today, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in Audience, at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, the President of the State of Israel, H.E. Mr. Isaac Herzog, who subsequently met with His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, accompanied by H.E. Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations.
 

During the cordial discussions with the Holy Father and in the Secretariat of State, attention was given to the political and social situation in the Middle East, where numerous conflicts persist, with particular focus on the tragic situation in Gaza. There was an expression of hope for a prompt resumption of negotiations, so that, with openness and courageous decisions, as well as with the support of the international community, the liberation of all hostages might be secured, a permanent ceasefire urgently achieved, the safe entry of humanitarian aid into the most afflicted areas facilitated, and full respect for humanitarian law, together with the legitimate aspirations of both peoples, ensured. Consideration was also given to how to guarantee a future for the Palestinian people, as well as to peace and stability in the Region, with the Holy See reiterating that the two-State solution is the only path forward to end the present war. Reference was likewise made to the situation in the West Bank and to the important question of the City of Jerusalem.
 

In the continuation of the discussions, agreement was reached on the historic value of relations between the Holy See and Israel, and certain matters concerning relations between the State authorities and the local Church were also addressed, with particular attention to the importance of Christian communities and to their commitment both in loco and throughout the Middle East, in the service of human and social development, especially in the fields of education, the promotion of social cohesion, and the stability of the Region.
 

From the Vatican, 4 September 2025