The Holy See has announced this weekend that the planned recognition of Palestine as a state last summer, is now in effect.
The move has drawn criticism from Israel.
Equilibrio Informativo reports:
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“With reference to the Comprehensive Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Palestine, signed on 26 June 2015, the Holy See and the State of Palestine have notified each other that the procedural requirements for its entry into force have been fulfilled”, the Vatican announced Saturday. Pope Francis celebrates First Vespers & Te Deum in Saint Peter’s Basilica, the ceremony of thanksgiving for the complete of the yr, celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City on December 31, 2015. This comes over two years after the Roman Catholic Church recognized the Palestinian territories as a sovereign state in February 2013.
Referring to Palestine as “state” means Vatican has recognized it as an equal partner, thus sealing support for 2012 UN General Assembly resolution granting Palestine a non-member observer status.
At the agreement’s signing in June, Vatican Foreign Minister Archbishop Paul Gallagher said the accord could encourage tallks between Palestinians and Israelis and a possible two-state solution, Reuters reported. Israel has steadily encroached on those borders since, building settlements in areas recognized by the global community as being Palestinian territory.
Israel was quick to criticize the agreement as counterproductive to the peace process in the Middle East, but the Vatican said it hopes to quell fighting in the region and use the accord as a model for other Arab and Muslim-majority countries.
