Pope Leo XIV excommunicated at least 750 priests belonging to the ultraconservative Society of St. Pius X on Thursday, a rare measure that produced the church’s largest schism in 150 years.

Formed in early 2025, the Pioneers of Bashan is a group of ultranationalist, Israeli activists aiming to establish Jewish settlements inside Syria. While the wider West Bank settlement movement in Israel has strong support from the government, the Pioneers of Bashan remains a fringe movement.