Vatican signs historic first accord with Palestine
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THE Vatican yesterday signed a historic first accord with Palestine, two years after officially recognizing it as a state.
The accord, a treaty covering the activities of the Church in the parts of the Holy Land under Palestinian control, was the first since the Vatican recognized Palestine as a state in February 2013.
The product of 15 years of discussions, the agreement was finalized in principle last month and bitterly condemned then by Israel as a setback for the peace process.
“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,” Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said in a statement.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Maliki said at yesterday’s signing ceremony that it would “not have been possible without the blessing of his Holiness Pope Francis for our efforts to reach it.”
The minister said the “historic” accord enshrined Palestine’s special status as the birthplace of Christianity and the cradle of the monotheistic religions (Christianity, Islam, Judaism).
Paul Gallagher, the British archbishop who is the Vatican’s de facto foreign minister, signed the accord on behalf of the Holy See in the presence of guests including Vera Baboun, the mayor of Bethlehem, the Palestinian town considered to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ.
Gallagher said the accord’s provisions to ensure the rights of Christians should serve as a model for other Arab and Muslim states in their relations with Christian minorities facing increasing persecution in the Middle East.
He said it was “indicative of the progress made by the Palestinian Authority in recent years, and above all of the level of international support (for recognition).”
The Palestinian Authority sees the Vatican one of 136 countries to have recognized Palestine as a state.
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