Vatican signs treaty with the 'State of Palestine'

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last updated 26 June 2015

The Vatican signed its first treaty with the Palestinian Authority on Friday, formalizing its recognition of the "State of Palestine." While the Vatican first recognized Palestine as a separate state in 2012, the signing of the accord makes that recognition official and marks the latest move in the Vatican's 15-year effort to broker peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Church hopes that the two-state solution will improve relations between Israel and Palestine and serve as a "stimulus to bringing a definitive end" to the conflict, the Vatican's foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, said. However, the Israeli foreign ministry was none too happy with the signing of the accord, which it described as "a hasty step" that could hamper the possibility of peace.