VATICAN CITY — The Vatican on June 26 signed a historic agreement recognizing the state of Palestine and calling for a two-state solution with Israel, a move criticized by the Israeli government as damaging the peace process.
The comprehensive agreement was signed at the Vatican by the Holy See’s foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, and his Palestinian counterpart, Riad al-Malki.
The accord is the result of years of negotiations and is the first legal treaty between Palestine and the Holy See.
Under the agreement — containing 32 articles in eight chapters — the Holy See officially recognizes Palestine and calls for a two-state solution through direct negotiations with Israel.
But the agreement sparked instant criticism from Israel. “This hasty step damages the prospects for advancing a peace agreement and harms the international effort to convince the Palestinian Authority to return to direct negotiations with Israel,” said Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon.
(RNS)
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