Israel has expressed disappointment at the Vatican’s decision to officially recognise a ‘Palestinian state’ for the first time.
The Vatican signed a treaty regarding the activities of the Catholic Church in Palestinian territories. The Holy See agreed to sign the agreement with the State of Palestine, rather than the Palestine Liberation Organisation, which has previously been the Vatican’s bilateral partner.
Monsignor Antoine Camilleri, the Vatican’s Deputy Foreign Minister said that the treaty “aims to enhance the life and activities of the Catholic Church and its recognition at the judicial level.”
“We have recognized the State of Palestine ever since it was given recognition by the United Nations and it is already listed as the State of Palestine in our official yearbook,” said Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi.
The Vatican welcomed the UN General Assembly’s resolution in 2012 recognizing Palestine as an observer non-member state, a move that gave the Palestinians the same status at the UN as the Vatican.
The Israeli foreign ministry said it was “disappointed” by the Vatican’s decision. A statement explained “This move does not promote the peace process and distances the Palestinian leadership from returning to direct and bilateral negotiations.”
Israel, a source said, will study the agreement and then decide on its steps accordingly.
Israel and the Vatican have themselves been unable, after some 16 years of negotiations, to sign an agreement that would deal with matters such as the status of the Catholic Church in Israel, the issue of sovereignty over some 21 sites in the country, and taxation and expropriation issues.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to meet soon Pope Francis in the Vatican a day before the canonization of two Arab nuns who lived in Ottoman-ruled Palestine in the 19th century.