Pope Leo XIV condemns the Israeli bombing of the Holy Family Church in Gaza, sheltering hundreds of civilians. He calls for an urgent ceasefire and the protection of sacred places and vulnerable civilians.

Pope Leo XIV raised his voice as a strong moral call amid the escalating conflict in Gaza: “It is time to put an end to this massacre,” he said following a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, July 18.

The conversation took place a day after an Israeli military strike hit the Holy Family Church, the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip, killing three civilians and seriously injuring several others.

Since October 2023, the church had functioned as a shelter for more than 500 vulnerable people , including women, children, elderly, and sick individuals. The attack, caused by fragments of an Israeli projectile, severely damaged the church’s structure and scattered debris across the compound, raising urgent concerns about the protection of places of worship and civilians during armed conflict.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza has worsened dramatically, with hospitals overwhelmed, severe shortages of medical supplies, electricity, and food. Thousands of civilians, especially children, have lost their lives in the ongoing military offensive. The Holy Family Church, beyond being a religious symbol, stood as a rare sanctuary for those with no other refuge amid indiscriminate violence.

Pope Leo XIV emphasized that respect for human dignity and sacred spaces must be unwavering even in times of war. During his call with Netanyahu, he stressed the urgent need to protect civilians and facilitate humanitarian corridors to deliver aid to hospitals, schools, and shelters.

The attack on the church has sparked widespread condemnation within the international religious community. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem labeled the incident an unacceptable violation of international humanitarian law, calling for safety guarantees for all civilians trapped in Gaza regardless of religion.

Pope Leo XIV reiterated his rejection of disproportionate use of force and indiscriminate violence that claim innocent lives and called for a transparent investigation to clarify what happened and prevent future tragedies.

Since the conflict began in October 2023, the Vatican has consistently advocated for an immediate ceasefire and the resumption of dialogue between the parties involved. Its diplomatic efforts with religious leaders in the region seek to chart a path toward peace based on mutual respect and fundamental human rights.

The planned deployment of a Vatican humanitarian delegation to Gaza signals solidarity with those suffering and the Church’s unwavering commitment to supporting all innocent victims caught in this protracted conflict.

Since the fall of the former Syrian regime, Israel has gradually begun to realize some of its long-standing ambitions. With the collapse of the modern Syrian state and the disintegration of its army, Israeli forces managed to seize Mount Hermon (Jabal al-Sheikh), a first since its liberation in 1973. On the morning of December 8, 2024, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raised a glass of champagne in celebration, marking the takeover of Damascus by Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan could also hardly hide his satisfaction. In a speech delivered in Ankara, he mocked the collapse of Syria’s Baathist regime and, more broadly, the idea of Arab nationalism. His remarks drew loud applause, and quickly reverberated across the Arab world.

Southern Syria effectively fell under Israeli control, handed to them by al-Sharaa, who used sectarian tension as a pretext to intervene, but walked straight into a trap of his own making.

Over the past eight months, Israel has steadily gained ground.

Politically, al-Sharaa has scrambled to secure a deal with Israel to consolidate his grip on power and meet US conditions. He avoids acknowledging hostile Israeli incursions, and never utters the word “occupation,” choosing instead to emphasize his “desire for peace.”

Socially, Syria’s national identity is unraveling under the pressure of sectarian violence and daily atrocities, affecting Syrians of all sects. Alawites, in particular, became the target of a systematic campaign.

Militarily, the Israeli army pushed deep into southern Syria, thus consolidating its presence in Quneitra, Mount Hermon, and Yarmouk Basin, notably after securing the loyalty of some local Druze and Sunni communities. More than 15 military outposts were established, and infrastructure laid for long-term entrenchment.

But the offensive in Sweida marked a turning point. With it, all of southern Syria effectively fell under Israeli control, handed to them by al-Sharaa, who used sectarian tension as a pretext to intervene, but walked straight into a trap of his own making. By dragging the south into intercommunal violence, he crushed the last hopes of Syrians who longed for an end to years of bloodshed.

The maneuver was so blatant that many now accuse al-Sharaa of deliberately provoking tensions between Sweida’s Druze and Bedouin communities, to give Israeli forces an alibi to intervene, acting in effect on his behalf. This theory is bolstered by reports of a secret understanding reached during the recent Baku summit in Azerbaijan, where al-Sharaa met with Israeli officials, along with his foreign minister, Asaad al-Shaybani, and security envoy Ahmad Dalati. A closer look at al-Sharaa’s inner circle and affiliated media reveals a growing appetite for normalization with Israel.

Adding weight to this theory, a Syrian defense ministry spokesperson said: “What happened today by Israel was contrary to our expectations.” According to this interpretation, al-Sharaa had already informed Israeli officials of his plans to enter Sweida under the pretext of halting the Druze-Bedouin clashes, an operation allegedly agreed upon during Baku talks.

Al-Sharaa hoped that his shared hostility with Israel toward Lebanese and Palestinian resistance groups, and his opposition to the former Syrian regime, would earn him Tel Aviv’s support. He cut Hezbollah’s supply routes to Lebanon, expelled Palestinian fighters from Damascus, courted pro-Israel lobbying groups in Washington, handed over the complete Eli Cohen’s archive, and gave up any Syrian claim to the occupied Golan Heights.

The fact that Ahmad Dalati personally led the Sweida operation only reinforces suspicions. As the newly appointed security chief for the province, Dalati has effectively shifted roles: from Israeli liaison to battlefield commander. Meanwhile, Israel cannot plausibly claim ignorance of the volatile atmosphere in Sweida, or the near certainty of bloodshed if al-Sharaa’s forces attempted to enter the area. Critics argue that any resulting massacre would rival the atrocities his forces carried out along the Syrian coast.

However, according to the Saudi-owned newspaper Asharq al-Awsat, Israel rejected al-Sharaa’s proposal for a “limited-scope normalization” during the Baku summit. Instead, it demanded tangible security guarantees, continued occupation of the Golan Heights and Mount Hermon, and formal recognition of its recent territorial gains. Israeli media reported that the talks also touched on Hezbollah’s weapons, Palestinian factions in Lebanon, the future of displaced Palestinians from Gaza, and the possible opening of an Israeli coordination office in Damascus, without formal diplomatic recognition.

Al-Sharaa hoped that his shared hostility with Israel toward Lebanese and Palestinian resistance groups, and his opposition to the former Syrian regime, would earn him Tel Aviv’s support. He cut Hezbollah’s supply routes to Lebanon, expelled Palestinian fighters from Damascus, courted pro-Israel lobbying groups in Washington, handed over the complete Eli Cohen’s archive, and gave up any Syrian claim to the occupied Golan Heights.

But he misread the moment, and he was not alone to do so. US envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack was also blindsided. “The Israeli strikes on Damascus were surprising,” he admitted.

Years of collaboration ultimately meant little. Since its formation in 2012, Jabhat al-Nusra and its various offshoots have served as the primary military instrument for the Western-Turkish-Qatari alliance in its campaign to dismantle the former Syrian army. Backed by the “MOC” operations room in Jordan and “MOD” in Turkey, these factions overran air defense systems and strategic bases, most notably in Tell al-Hara, which hosted sophisticated surveillance and electronic warfare systems supplied by China, Russia, and Iran.

Between 2011 and at least 2018, Nusra fighters advanced deep into the Yarmouk Basin, reaching the edge of the Israeli-occupied Golan. They executed Syrian soldiers, attacked Druze villages near Mount Hermon, like Hadr, and occasionally raided Sweida. When they massacred Druze civilians in Qalb Loze in Idlib, forcing others to abandon their religious traditions under “Salafi” pressure, Israel said nothing. Instead, it kept offering treatment to Nusra fighters in field hospitals across the occupied Golan and Upper Galilee. This sparked outrage among Druze communities in Syria, Palestine, and within Israel. Israel even arrested Majdal Shams native and former Syrian prisoner Sidqi al-Maqt for filming Israeli soldiers assisting Nusra fighters.

Al-Sharaa’s dilemma is that he has already given Israel everything. Still, Tel Aviv still views him as unfit for any role beyond limited security coordination in southern Syria. In Israel’s way of thinking, even if al-Sharaa were to sign a peace agreement, he still lacks legitimacy and power to implement it. For this reason, Tel Aviv prefers to handle security on its own, through large-scale military deployments.

In parallel, the Israeli government is closely monitoring tensions among various armed factions aligned with al-Sharaa, aware that a conflict between rival jihadist groups is only a matter of time. It is also watching the growing sense of despair felt by Syria’s religious minorities. Iran has withdrawn, Russia is confined to its bases, Thomas Barrack is backpedaling, and Arab states fully endorsed the transitional president.

Al-Sharaa’s dilemma is that he has already given Israel everything. Still, Tel Aviv still views him as unfit for any role beyond limited security coordination in southern Syria. In Israel’s way of thinking, even if al-Sharaa were to sign a peace agreement, he still lacks legitimacy and power to implement it.

There is no doubt that Syria after the Sweida offensive is no longer the same. Al-Sharaa has once again failed, from the coast to the south, squandering the opportunity granted to him by Arab and Western powers, who overlooked his brutality for lack of an alternative. Now, even UN Secretary-General António Guterres is once again invoking Resolution 2254, while al-Sharaa’s hopes on lifting Western sanctions are quickly fading. In fact, new sanctions may soon target his security apparatus, much like the European Union sanctions imposed on factions like the Hamza and Amshat brigades for war crimes.

As sectarian violence intensifies, and retaliatory attacks spread between Druze and Bedouin groups, Israel’s de facto invasion of southern Syria is underway. Al-Sharaa is no longer able to preserve Syria’s territorial integrity. He cannot reclaim the east or the south, rules the coast through repression, and has lost control over both armed and jihadist groups.

Faced with such powerlessness, al-Sharaa may soon realize that his only remaining path to relevance lies outside Syria. He might try to further serve Israeli interests in Lebanon, tighten the screws on Hezbollah, and rebrand himself, yet again, as an ally to Tel Aviv. But this time, he has nothing left to offer

Santiago de Chile, Jul 21 (Prensa Latina) The President of Chile, Gabriel Boric, will receive today the Heads of State or Government of Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay and Spain for a high-level meeting on democracy, multilateralism and global cooperation.

The meeting, at the Palacio de La Moneda, is a continuation of a first meeting held in 2024 in New York in the context of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.

Issues such as the reduction of inequalities, the fight against disinformation and the regulation of emerging technologies will also be analyzed at the meeting.

The day will begin with the official photo of Boric with the presidents of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, and of Uruguay, Yamandú Orsi; as well as with the head of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez.

After midday, the leaders will make a joint statement to the media on the results of the meeting, which will be presented at the next United Nations Assembly.

A lunch with intellectuals, representatives of international organizations and think tanks is also planned, with the participation of former President Michelle Bachelet and Nobel Prize winner in Economics Joseph Stiglitz, among other personalities.

At the end of the day, the leaders will hold a meeting at the Matucana 100 Cultural Center with more than 300 leaders of civil society organizations.

The meeting, called “Democracy Always,” takes place in a context marked by U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement to impose tariffs of up to 50 percent on imports, which will have a negative impact on almost everyone.

Newsom criticized the decision as ‘petty’ and a ‘political retribution,’ calling it a heartless attack on the Central Valley. On Thursday, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state is suing President Donald Trump’s administration after it rescinded US$4 billion in federal funding for California’s high-speed rail project.

Newsom criticized the decision as “petty” and a “political retribution,” calling it “a heartless attack on the Central Valley that will put real jobs and livelihoods on the line.” “We’re suing to stop Trump from derailing America’s only high-speed rail actively under construction,” he added.

The move follows Trump’s remarks on social media: “Not a SINGLE penny in Federal Dollars will go towards this Newscum SCAM ever again.” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed the termination the same day, calling the rail project “the definition of government incompetence and possibly corruption.”

Newsom then responded on social media, saying, “Won’t be taking advice from the guy who can’t keep planes in the sky,” referencing recent aviation safety issues under Duffy’s leadership.

STATE PUSHES BACK

State officials have repeatedly maintained that the project is on track. The California High-Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) highlighted the completion of major infrastructure work, including 35 kilometers of earthworks and 11 bridge structures.

“The authority strongly disagrees with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)’s conclusions, which are misguided and do not reflect the substantial progress made to deliver high-speed rail in California,” a spokeswoman said in a statement.

Earlier this month, authority officials said in a letter that the Trump administration had pre-decided to revoke funding without a thorough review.

“Canceling these grants without cause isn’t just wrong — it’s illegal,” CHSRA CEO Ian Choudri said in a statement Wednesday. “These are legally binding agreements, and the authority has met every obligation, as confirmed by repeated federal reviews, as recently as February 2025.”

The authority added that 171 miles of the project are currently under active construction and design, with over 15,000 jobs created to date.

However, according to The New York Times, even if a future administration restores funding, it could take years to reissue contracts for critical infrastructure like trains and electrical systems, further delaying completion.

LONG-TROUBLED PROJECT

The California high-speed rail project aims to connect San Francisco and Los Angeles with a train covering the route in about two hours and 40 minutes. A second phase would eventually extend the line to Sacramento and San Diego, according to its official website.

Initially approved by voters in 2008, the project has faced delays, rising costs and repeated revisions. According to the Department of Transportation, the entire project was supposed to be completed by 2020 and cost US$33 billion. The agency then estimated the total cost of the project is now over US$100 billion.

Trump and Duffy both have slammed the project as a “train to nowhere.” “This project was Severely Overpriced, Overregulated, and NEVER DELIVERED,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Louis Thompson, who previously led the state’s peer review panel for the project, said, “I don’t think we are going to see electric trains running on track from Merced to Bakersfield for a long, long time … not in 10 years with no federal money.”

So far, less than a quarter of the project’s funding has come from the federal government, with the rest sourced mainly from state-issued bonds and California’s cap-and-trade program. But losing federal support could significantly impact progress.

“Having this money taken away could potentially mean that they won’t be able to continue to construct it, at least at anywhere near the pace and scale they’ve been at,” said Ethan Elkind, climate program director at the UC Berkeley School of Law.

Federal officials have questioned the project’s viability. FRA’s acting administrator Drew Feeley, described the effort as “a story of broken promises” in a report last month.

Diana Furchtgott-Roth, a deputy assistant secretary for research at the Transportation Department during Trump’s first term, said that the system, if it is ever built, had no hope of being profitable and that people were not likely to want to use it. “They prefer driving,” she said.

ESCALATING TENSIONS

The lawsuit marks another chapter in the tensions between the Trump administration and California’s leadership. The rift deepened after January, when Trump clashed with Newsom over deadly wildfires near Los Angeles. He claimed California’s environmental policies were to blame for dry hydrants and later wrote that Newsom should resign.

During his presidency, Trump has challenged several California policies, including its climate regulations, university admissions and transgender protections in sports.

Stanford law professor David Freeman Engstrom told The New York Times that while the political tensions between Trump and Newsom may have influenced the funding decision, it may not be enough to sway a court.

If California argues that the termination is “just an effort to get back at Governor Newsom, an enemy of the administration, I’m not sure that a court’s going to be willing to credit that argument here,” he said.

“By returning to the high-speed rail issue, Trump is once again lifting up a powerful symbol that liberal California is the problem, not the solution,” Engstrom added.

California previously challenged a similar funding cut in 2019 and succeeded in restoring a 929 million-dollar grant after the Joe Biden administration settled the lawsuit in 2021.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi affirms uranium enrichment as an inalienable sovereign right, underscoring the program’s significance for national dignity and political independence amid escalating regional tensions.

Tehran remains firm in its determination to preserve and develop its uranium enrichment program, a stance reiterated by Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi. Speaking recently to the press, Araghchi emphasized that enrichment is not only a technical matter but a symbol of Iran’s political sovereignty and scientific progress achieved by its own experts.

Araghchi described uranium enrichment as a fundamental achievement of Iranian scientists and an “inalienable sovereign right” enshrined under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Responding to questions about why Iran chooses not to import enriched uranium, he stated:

“Because it’s a scientific achievement; an achievement we have achieved ourselves. Why should we import something we can produce ourselves?”

This assertion highlights Iran’s commitment to self-reliance and technological independence, reinforcing its stance against external pressure.

The nuclear program suffered material damage when Israeli forces launched an attack on June 13, targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities,actions subsequently supported by US bombing of three nuclear sites. Despite this aggression, Araqchi signaled continuity, affirming,

“We will not abandon enrichment.”

In response to these provocations, Iranian armed forces struck strategic locations in the occupied territories and the US Al-Udeid air base in Qatar, demonstrating Tehran’s readiness to defend its sovereignty.

Amid rising confrontation, Araghchi sent a message to Washington expressing willingness for dialogue, proposing:

“Let us find a solution based on negotiation for the Iranian nuclear program.”

This call underscores Iran’s preference for diplomatic engagement while affirming its sovereign rights.

Regarding potential European sanctions reimposed on Iran’s oil exports, officials express confidence that such measures will have limited impact, reflecting Tehran’s broader strategy of resistance and economic resilience amid external pressures.