Courtney, an Irish Catholic who had visited Israel and encouraged her to make the trip. Hochul follows a tradition of New York leaders visiting the Jewish state during times of conflict.

Dolan, who leads the Archdiocese of New York, was visiting Israel in his role as chair of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) and was set to visit various charitable organizations.

(Credit: Leo Correa/AP.) Listen NEW YORK – With Israel and Hamas still unable to reach a deal to free hostages and halt their war, Catholic leaders in the northwest United States are calling for ...