sot42
Image

The Vatican praised a U.N. vote making Palestine a nonmember observer state but called for full recognition of Palestinian sovereignty as necessary for peace in the region. On Nov. 29 138 U.N. member states voted to boost Palestine’s status from “entity” to “nonmember state”—the same status held by the Holy See—in an implicit recognition of Palestinian sovereignty. Israel, the United States and Canada were among nine states that voted against the motion, and 41 countries abstained. The Vatican said in a written statement released on Nov. 29 that Palestine’s enhanced status “does not constitute, per se, a sufficient solution to the existing problems in the region.” Such a solution would require “effective commitment to building peace and stability, in justice and in the respect for legitimate aspirations, both of the Israelis and of the Palestinians.” The Vatican urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders to restart peace “negotiations in good faith and to avoid actions, or the placing of conditions, which would contradict the declarations of good will and the sincere search for solutions which could become secure foundations for a lasting peace.” The Vatican also noted its agreement with the Palestinian Authority in 2000 supporting “the recognition of an internationally guaranteed special statute for the city of Jerusalem.”

This article appears in December 17 2012.