The Vatican said on Wednesday that it will officially recognize the “State of Palestine” after signing a new treaty with the Palestinian government. Israel has quickly moved to condemn the decision, though.
The treaty centers on the Catholic Church’s work in Palestine, but is notable for using the term “State of Palestine” instead of the Palestine Liberation Organization, reports The Associated Press. This is the first time the Holy See has done so in a legal document, even though the Vatican had approved of the 2012 U.N. General Assembly decision to consider Palestine a state.
“Yes, it's a recognition that the state exists,” the Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said Wednesday.
After the treaty was announced, Israel expressed disappointment. As the New York Times notes, the Israeli government has been concerned about Palestine being considered a state internationally since the 2012 UN resolution, especially since other European countries have suggested that they might do the same.
“This step does not advance the peace process and pushes the Palestinian leadership further away from returning to a direct and bilateral negotiation,” an Israeli foreign ministry official told the Times. “Israel will study the agreement and consider its next steps accordingly.”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is set to visit with Pope Francis in a few days. Last year, the Pope went to the Holy Land and the official program for the visit noted that Abbas is the president of the “state of Palestine.”
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