Holy See and the State of Palestine sign comprehensive agreement, a “hasty step” according to Israel
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – The Holy See and the State of Palestine are now officially tied by a comprehensive agreement that guarantees the cooperation between the two parties and facilitates the life of the Catholic Church in Palestine. Palestinian Catholics are thus full citizens of the Palestinian state.
The Vatican Secretary for Relations with States, Mgr Richard Gallagher, and the Foreign minister of the State of Palestine, Riad al-Malki, signed the agreement in the presence of their respective delegations.
Today’s agreement is the result of the diplomatic efforts that followed the Basic Agreement signed on 15 February 2000 between the Holy See and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), which represented the Palestinian people at the time.
In his address, Mgr Gallagher noted that the agreement involves the State of Palestine, recognised “as a non-member Observer State at the United Nations" on 29 November 2012.
He also observed that with such an accord the Catholic Church can provide better services to the population now that its legal status in Palestine is recognised. "Catholics,” the prelate said, “do not seek any privilege other than continued cooperation with their fellow-citizens for the good of society.
Noting that “in some countries Christians have even suffered persecution,” the Vatican “foreign minister” went on to say that "this agreement is a good example of dialogue and cooperation”. In view of this, he hopes “that it can serve as a model for other Arab and Muslim majority nations."
In this context, he stressed "the importance of the chapter dedicated to freedom of religion and freedom of conscience". This provides for genuine freedom of conscience (with the possibility of converting from one religion to another), unlike other states in the region offer, which offer only freedom of expression and religion.
Riad al-Malki too underscored the new elements in the agreement. For him, “It embodies our shared values of freedom, dignity, tolerance, co-existence, and equality of all. This comes at a time when extremism, barbaric violence, and ignorance threaten the social fabric and cultural identity of the region and indeed of human heritage.”
Against “this backdrop, the State of Palestine reiterates its commitment to combat extremism, and to promote tolerance, freedom of consciousness and religion, and to equally safeguard the rights of all its citizens. These are the values and principles that reflect the beliefs and aspirations of the Palestinian people and its leadership, and they are the pillars upon which we continue to endeavour to establish our independent and democratic State.
What is more, the "agreement consolidates and improves the current state of affairs, in which the Roman Catholic Church enjoys rights, privileges, immunities, and free access. It upholds the Church’s standing as an important contributor to the lives of many Palestinians."
By contrast, the State of Israel is not pleased with the agreement. In a statement, the Israeli Foreign Ministry expressed "regret" at the Vatican's decision to recognise Palestine as a state (a step already undertaken by the United Nations), and stress the importance of Jerusalem for the three main monotheistic religions: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
For Israel, “The hasty step hurts the chances to reach a peace deal and harms the international effort to convince the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table for the purpose of holding direct talks with Israel”.
In his statement, Mgr Gallagher countered such concerns. It “is my hope,” he said, “that the present Agreement may in some way be a stimulus to bringing a definitive end to the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which continues to cause suffering for both Parties. I also hope that the much desired two-State solution may become a reality as soon as possible. The peace process can move forward only if it is directly negotiated between the Parties, with the support of the international community.”
Israel and Holy See signed a Fundamental Agreement in 1993, establishing diplomatic relations the following year. However, 22 years later the two sides have not yet come to a final and comprehensive agreement.
.png)
