Vatican supports statehood for Palestine

(September 30, 2011) A top Vatican official has called for a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, insisting courageous decisions have to be made for the sake of peace. Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, equivalent to foreign minister, addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York on Tuesday encouraging “the realization of the right of Palestinians to have their own independent and sovereign state, and the right of Israelis to guarantee their security.” He also insisted that both states be “provided with internationally recognized borders.” He backed Palestine’s Sept. 23 application to be recognized as a member state of the United Nations. Referring to the 1947 UN General Assembly resolution recommending the creation of two states in the Palestine region, the Vatican’s third most powerful man said the “fundamental document raises the legal basis for the existence of two states.” “One of the states has already been created, while the other has not been established yet, although nearly sixty-four years have passed,” he lamented. Archbishop Mamberti urged Israel and Palestinians to resume negotiations with determination and urgently appealed to the international community to increase its “commitment and to stimulate its creativity and its initiative, so that we can arrive at a lasting peace, respecting the rights of Israelis and Palestinians.”