Holy See and the Arab–Israeli peace process

Pius XII

Pius XII was Pope from 2 March 1939 to 9 October 1958. His papacy covered the Second World War period, which saw the destruction of European Jewry in the Holocaust, and saw the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. He is noted for his rejection of any plan for the establishment of a State of Israel in the British Mandate of Palestine territory on religious/theological grounds. Even after the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, he also refused to recognise Israel, to have any meetings with any of its leaders, nor even to use the official name of the state.

Since 4 June 1934, Gustavo Testa had been Apostolic Delegate to Egypt, Arabia, Eritrea, Abyssinia, and Palestine. On 11 February 1948, Testa became, as Apostolic Delegate to Jerusalem and Palestine, Transjordania and Cyprus, the Vatican's representative in the territory of the British Mandate. (In 1973 the Nunciature of Cyprus was erected.) The appointment of the Apostolic Delegate did not require accreditation with any government and did not imply recognition or creation of diplomatic relations.

On 1 May 1948, two weeks before the end of the British Mandate, Pius XII issued the encyclical Auspicia quaedam expressing concern over the survival of the holy places in case of war. The Israeli Declaration of Independence of 14 May 1948 committed Israel to "guarantee freedom of religion ... [and to] safeguard the Holy Places of all religions". However, during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War that soon broke out, the Custodian of the Holy Land Alberto Gori in his reports to the Vatican was critical of Jewish and later Israeli forces, whom he accused of destruction of holy places. Despite these Israeli assurances on freedom of religion and safety of holy places, on 24 October 1948, Pius XII issued the encyclical In multiplicibus curis, which focused on the war then raging in Palestine and called for respect and protection of the holy places. On 15 April 1949, he issued the encyclical Redemptoris nostri cruciatus, in which he expressed concern over the future of freedom of access to the holy places and called for a "settlement of the dispute on principles of justice, which would fully safeguard the freedom of Catholics and at the same time provide guarantees for the safety of those most Holy Places".

"...tranquillity or order in Palestine is still very far from having been restored. For We are still receiving complaints from those who have every right to deplore the profanation of sacred buildings, images, charitable institutions, as well as the destruction of peaceful homes of religious communities. Piteous appeals still reach us from numerous refugees, of every age and condition, who have been forced by the disastrous war to emigrate and even live in exile in concentration camps, the prey to destitution, contagious disease and perils of every sort."

In June 1949, Pius XII established the Pontifical Mission for Palestine to assist Palestinian refugees. Also in 1949, he filled the office of Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, which has been vacant since 1947, by appointing Custodian Alberto Gori to the office. This led to a policy of estrangement towards the Israeli government. Jerusalem being divided between Israel and Jordan, and as many of the Palestinian Christians were now in Jordan-controlled Jerusalem, Gori relocated many Catholic religious houses and institutions from West to East Jerusalem. Gori was also active with Catholics of Jewish origin, and on 11 February 1955, granted official approval to the Apostolate of Saint James the Apostle, which was aimed at addressing the needs of Hebrew speaking Catholics in Israel.

On 1 November 1956, Pius XII issued encyclical Laetamur Admodum, which expressed concern over the Suez Crisis, but without endorsing any particular solution.

Paul VI

Paul VI, pope from 21 June 1963 to 6 August 1978, strongly defended inter-religious dialogue in the spirit of Nostra aetate. He was also the first Pope to mention the Palestinian people by name in public messages. His attitude towards the peace-process was dominated by two major factors - sympathy with the Palestinian refugees and support for the US sponsored peace process in the Middle East.

Because the majority of Christians in Arab countries were Arabs, he voiced mild criticism of the Israeli policy towards the Palestinians, while refraining from expressing any actual positions on the solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. In January 1964, he was the first pope to visit Jordan and Israel. He expressed his wish to visit Israel already in November 1962, when he served as Archbishop of Milan, and in December 1963 he announced such an intention as Pope. The visit took place in January 1964. During that visit, the Pope met the Israeli President near Meggido, but Vatican official statements regarding the visit refrained from mentioning the State of Israel by name, but only as "the Holy Land".

Upon the outbreak of the Six Day War in June 1967, Paul VI addressed a message to the Secretary-General of the UN expressing the hope for a speedy resolution of the crisis, but refraining from proposing any specific solution. Paul VI also supported UN Security Council resolution 242 and the diplomatic mission of UN mediator Gunnar Jarring, as can be seen in a speech given in the presence of Lebanese Deputy Prime Minister Fouad Boutros:

We also consider that the measures approved last autumn by the Security Council of the United Nations constitute a positive step on the way to a solution of the grave and urgent problems still in suspense. And We like to think that the mission of the Special Envoy of the Secretary General of the United Nations is finding and will find in all those called on to cooperate in the application of these measures.

In October 1969, Paul VI met at the Vatican Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban. On 15 January 1973, the Pope met Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir at the Vatican, which was the first meeting between a Pope and an Israeli Prime Minister. At the meeting, the Pope brought up the issues of peace in the Middle East, refugees and the status of the holy places, but no agreement was reached. According to Meir's own account of the meeting, the Pope criticized the Israeli government for its treatment of the Palestinians, and she said in reply:

Your Holiness, do you know what my earliest memory is? A pogrom in Kiev. When we were merciful and when we had no homeland and when we were weak, we were led to the gas chambers.

Following the Yom Kippur War in October 1973, the Vatican attempted to mediate between the Israeli and Syrian governments on prisoners exchange.

In a message to king Hussein of Jordan following the September 1970 ceasefire with Palestinian guerilla organizations in the Black September in Jordan, Paul VI expressed the hope for a solution to the 1948 refugee problem to be achieved through peace talks. In a letter on 16 July 1974 to the President of the Pontifical Mission for Palestine, Paul VI referred to the Palestinians and expressed concern for their welfare, while expressing the hope for a solution within the peace process launched following the Yom Kippur War.

On issues relating to peace between Israel and its neighbors, the Pope supported a solution that would take the Palestinian problem into consideration. This concern he voiced in his meeting with Egyptian President Sadat held on 8 April 1976. He again raised the issue in his meeting with the Syrian Ambassador to the Vatican on 15 December 1977, a statement probably made in response to Syrian frustration with Egyptian President's Anwar Sadat visit to Israel the month before.

Following the start of Israeli-Egyptian peace talks in late 1977, he held a reception to Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Moshe Dayan on 12 January 1978, in which he referred to Holy See interests in the peace-process in the following words:

"As Your Excellency well knows, in the complex problem of the Middle East we have particularly at heart the question of Jerusalem and the Holy Places; and we fervently hope for a solution that will not only satisfy the legitimate aspirations of those concerned, but also take into account the preeminently religious character of the Holy City. We therefore trust that the proposal several times put forward by the Holy See, in view of the spiritual greatness of Jerusalem, will be seen as a positive contribution to such a solution".

On 13 February 1978 he held a reception for Egyptian President Anwar Sadat at the Vatican. At his meeting with Sadat, the Pope expressed concern for the Palestinian problem, the people of Lebanon and the status of Jerusalem.

On 29 April 1978 the Pope met Hussein at the Vatican. At the meeting, the Pope referred to the problems of the peace process:

"we once again express the hope that a just end may be put to the sad situation of the Palestinians, and that Jerusalem, the Holy City for the three great monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, may really become the 'high place' of peace and encounter for peoples from every part of the world".

John Paul I

On 6 and 10 September 1978, John Paul I expressed support for the Camp David negotiations then taking place involving the Israeli and Egyptian governments in exploratory peace talks.

John Paul II

The Pontificate of John Paul II began at a time when the Israeli and the Egyptian governments were engaged in peace negotiations, leading to the conclusion of the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty. He placed the issue of achieving peace in the Middle East a high priority on his international agenda, as he mentioned it in his Sunday sermon of 11 March 1979. However, the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty did not receive Papal endorsement, owing probably to the unpopularity of that treaty within parts of the international community, and the Pope remained silent about that treaty, and even refrained from mentioning it at all during a reception he held for a delegation of the Coptic church on 23 June 1979, as well as in his message of congratulation to US President Jimmy Carter, during his visit to the US in October 1979. He expressed a more conciliatory tone towards the Israeli-Egyptian treaty in his speech before the UN General Assembly on 2 October 1979, but conditioned his support on that treaty being the "first stone" to a comprehensive peace in the region.

He referred to the Middle East peace process at a reception he held at the Vatican to US President Carter on 21 June 1980:

Mr President, I wish to assure you of my deep interest in every effort aimed at the betterment of humanity and devoted to world peace. In a particular way the Middle East and the neighbouring regions occupy our common attention because of the immense importance they hold for international well-being. (- – -)

The question of Jerusalem, which during these very days attracts the attention of the world in a special way, is pivotal to a just peace in those parts of the world, since this Holy City embodies interests and aspirations that are shared by different peoples in different ways.

The Pope's veiled criticism of the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty is seen in the statement he made to the Egyptian Ambassador to the Holy See on 10 November 1980:

I have followed closely the efforts to build a lasting peace which have been made by President Sadat and the Egyptian Government. And I am happy to receive from you the confirmation that these efforts will continue, despite all difficulties. In fact, precisely because the tensions and dangers have increased in recent times, the work of peace, as you have said, must go on. Indeed it must be intensified until a comprehensive peace is achieved, a peace which provides for an equitable solution to all aspects of the Middle East crisis, including the Palestinian problem and the question of Jerusalem. Any so-called peace which would not take into account all the elements of divergency and which would not ultimately include all the parties who are directly concerned would risk being ineffective and could spark an ever more bitter conflict.

Following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, John Paul II expressed his concern about the future of the peace process in a message to US President Ronald Reagan on 7 June 1982, one day after the start of the war:

This grave crisis in Lebanon likewise merits the attention of the world because of the danger it contains of further provocation in the Middle East, with immense consequences for world peace.

On 29 June, the Pope made a public appeal for peace in Lebanon. Throughout the Lebanese war, John Paul II continued viewing the war as a major crisis to be resolved, as can be seen in his statement to the Egyptian Ambassador on 10 October 1984.

John Paul II met PLO chairman Yasser Arafat. Their first official meeting took place in 1982, and they met again in 1988 and 1990. By the time of Arafat's death in 2004, they met a total of 12 times.

On 19 February 1985, John Paul II met Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, the first such meeting since the meeting between Paul VI and Golda Meir in 1973. At the meeting, John Paul II reiterated the Vatican position on an "internationally guaranteed" status for Jerusalem. Peres cordially rejected any territorial concessions in Jerusalem, stating it will always remain Israel's capital.

Following the outbreak of the First Intifada in December 1987, John Paul II showed his sympathy with the Palestinian cause as he held a meeting on 7 January 1988 with Michel Sabbah, the first native Palestinian Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, appointed in 1987. John Paul II also met Yasser Arafat in 1988 and 1990. Since 1999, Sabbah has spoken in support of Palestinian rights, the two-state solution and the Palestinian refugees' right of return. He has criticized the West Bank barrier and called for an end to the Israeli occupation of the Gaza Strip and West Bank including East Jerusalem.

John Paul II supported the conduct of the Madrid Peace Conference of 1991 and the launch of the multilateral talks that followed. However, after the opening of the Madrid Peace Conference in November 1991, Michel Sabah, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, emphasized that the Holy See had not been invited to attend, saying: "The invitation we were waiting for did not arrive." Probably the Holy See understood that without establishing normal diplomatic relations with Israel it could not be associated with the peace process, where perhaps the status of Jerusalem could be discussed. Also, as they themselves were engaged in a dialogue with Israel, the Arabs could not very well reproach the Holy See discussions with Israel. The Holy See entered into negotiations with the Israeli government; and on 29 July 1992, a permanent bilateral commission was established to resolve legal and diplomatic issues. The status of Jerusalem, a multisided question, was not discussed there.

John Paul II continued to support the peace process after Holy See–Israel diplomatic relations were established, and supported the Oslo Accords and the Israel–Jordan peace treaty, but his attitude was of cautious optimism, as he stated to the Jordanian Ambassador to the Holy See on 19 November 1994:

The peace process still has a long and arduous path to follow, and it is not simplistic to say that its success depends, more than on anything else, on an increase of trust between the peoples of the Middle East themselves.

Following Netanyahu's election as Israeli Prime Minister in 1996, John Paul II repeated his concern over the future of the peace process.

The Vatican also expressed concern over the socio-economic situation within the Palestinian Authority and Israeli policies in that regard. On 3 November 1999, Archbishop Renato Martino, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, stated before the UN General Assembly:

While the renewed peace process initiated by the Wye Memorandum deserves commendation, the ongoing expansion of settlements and confiscation of land could pose a real threat to a stable and definitive solution to the crisis in the land which is the Holy Land, especially to believers of the three monotheistic religions.

On 15 February 2000, Holy See–Palestine relations were established after the Holy See concluded a basic agreement with the PLO as representing the Palestinians. John Paul II visited Israel and the Palestinian Authority in March 2000. This was the first Papal visit to the Palestinian Authority. On 22 March, at a reception held in Bethlehem, he referred to the Palestinian issue:

The Holy See has always recognized that the Palestinian people have the natural right to a homeland, and the right to be able to live in peace and tranquility with the other peoples of this area. In the international forum, my predecessors and I have repeatedly proclaimed that there would be no end to the sad conflict in the Holy Land without stable guarantees for the rights of all the peoples involved, on the basis of international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions and declarations.

The Pope explicitly referred to the Palestinian Authority and the peace process, when talking to the incoming Israeli Ambassador to the Holy See on 18 September 2000:

A continuing source of sadness is the elusive character of a definitive peace in the Middle East. We all rejoice every time a step forward is announced in the complex negotiations which have become an essential feature of relations between Israel and its neighbours, especially the Palestinian Authority. The continuation of dialogue and negotiation is itself a significant development. And it is important to acknowledge just how substantial is the progress made so far, lest those involved be discouraged at the size of the task still ahead. Sometimes the obstacles to peace appear so great and so many that to face them seems humanly impossible. But what seemed unthinkable even a few short years ago is now a reality or at least a matter of open discussion, and this must convince all concerned that a solution is possible. It must encourage everyone to press forward with hope and perseverance.

The outbreak of the Second Intifada in September 2000 was a cause of concern for the Holy See, and in a message to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem on 6 November, the Pope referred to the fighting in the Palestinian territories:

the violent change from negotiation to confrontation represents a setback for peace

and he called upon both sides to return to the negotiating table. As for the desirable solution for the conflict, he stated:

both the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples have the right to live in their own homes in dignity and security.

John Paul II remained critical for the lack of progress in the peace process and the part played by the US government, as he said to the US Ambassador to the Holy See on 13 September 2001:

I cannot but mention, among so many disturbing situations throughout the world, the tragic violence which continues to affect the Middle East and which seriously jeopardizes the peace process begun in Madrid.

In October 2001, the Pope met Arafat for the last time, and expressed concern over the fighting in the Palestinian territories. In his Sunday sermon of 21 October, the Pope expressed concern over the situation in the Bethlehem area due to Israeli military incursions and the shell damage caused to Bethlehem University, and the issue was also raised at the UN by the Vatican delegation. The escalation in fighting in April–May 2002 caused the Pope to call upon the international community to pressure the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships to implement a cease-fire and restart negotiations, as seen from his message to the Jordanian Ambassador to the Holy See on 17 May 2002. On 1 May 2002, the Pope appointed Cardinal Roger Etchegaray as his personal envoy to mediate between the Israeli government and the Palestinian forces in and around Bethlehem to prevent damage to the Church of the Nativity. These efforts led to ending the siege on the Nativity Church on 10 May.

The Pope's statements during the Second Intifada became more and more in favor of a Palestinian state, and on 2 June 2003, he said to the Israeli Ambassador:

the Holy See is convinced that the present conflict will be resolved only when there are two independent and sovereign States.

The Pope also showed support for the building of government institution within the Palestinian Authority, and on 10 November 2003, he accepted at the Vatican a delegation from the Palestinian Authority, which he commended for drafting a new Palestinian constitution, and on 12 February 2004, he received the Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei at the Vatican.

Benedict XVI

On 12 July 2005, shortly after the ascension of Benedict XVI, there was a terrorist attack in the Israeli city of Netanya. The Vatican was criticised by a spokesman of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs for not expressing concern over the loss of Israeli lives. The Holy See spokesperson responded as follows:

Not every attack against Israel could be followed by an immediate public condemnation. There are various reasons for this, among them the fact that attacks against Israel were sometimes followed by immediate Israeli reactions not always compatible with the norms of international law. It would, consequently, have been impossible to condemn the former and remain silent on the latter.

This statement, which equated terrorist attacks with Israeli military operations, caused some tension between the Vatican and the Israeli government. In August 2005, the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, in order to defuse tensions with the Vatican, wrote a letter to the Pope, where he stated:

Israel has been devastated and victimized by terrorism and we are very sensitive to any attempt to distinguish between Islamic terrorism which systematically targets innocent Israeli civilians and that which is aimed at citizens of other countries.

The letter was delivered to Vatican Secretary of State Angelo Sodano by the Israeli Ambassador Oded Ben-Hur on 23 August, and in that meeting Sodano made a conciliatory statement to the effect that both parties made minor errors of judgment in respect to one another, and both diplomats then announced the crisis was resolved.

During the 2006 Lebanon War, the Holy See called for an immediate cease-fire, and for humanitarian efforts for the reconstruction of Lebanon. However, it was criticised for not referring to the causes of the operation and for its language in criticizing Israel.

In November 2006, the Holy See expressed support for the efforts of the Quartet on the Middle East.

This time the portion of the speech dedicated to the solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was longer than usual, and a similar sense of urgency for a solution was seen in Migliore's statement during the 10th Emergency Session (concerned with Israeli policies in East Jerusalem) on 17 November:

While regretting a new toll of deaths and condemning the spiral of violence caused by both military operations and terrorist attacks, we cannot but note that these horrendous occurrences form part of a much larger issue which, as we all know, has festered far too long in the region. Each time we hold an emergency meeting such as this, we recite the seemingly endless list of difficulties and differences separating Israelis and Palestinians, which make it all the more urgent for states to address the problem of the fundamental injustice at the heart of this question. To make a litany of symptoms without addressing the root cause is hardly helpful to either party. Each is forced to live under the horrible tensions of potential explosive acts of terror or military incursions that result in death, casualties and the destruction of infrastructures.

The Holy See endorsed the formation in March 2007 of a unity government between Fatah and Hamas in the Palestinian Authority.

During his meeting with the Israeli Ambassador to the Holy See held on 12 May 2008, Benedict XVI voiced his concern over the peace process, as well as over resolving issues related to the fundamental agreement. Regarding the peace process, the Pope said:

The Holy See recognizes Israel's legitimate need for security and self-defence and strongly condemns all forms of anti-Semitism. It also maintains that all peoples have a right to be given equal opportunities to flourish. Accordingly, I would urge your Government to make every effort to alleviate the hardship suffered by the Palestinian community, allowing them the freedom necessary to go about their legitimate business, including travel to places of worship, so that they too can enjoy greater peace and security. Clearly, these matters can only be addressed within the wider context of the Middle East peace process. The Holy See welcomes the commitment expressed by your Government to carry forward the momentum rekindled at Annapolis and prays that the hopes and expectations raised there will not be disappointed. As I observed in my recent address to the United Nations in New York, it is necessary to explore every possible diplomatic avenue and to remain attentive to "even the faintest sign of dialogue or desire for reconciliation" if long-standing conflicts are to be resolved. When all the people of the Holy Land live in peace and harmony, in two independent sovereign states side by side, the benefit for world peace will be inestimable.

The Israeli-Gaza war of 2008–2009 also raised Holy See concerns for the region. On 4 January 2009, the Pope ended his regular Sunday sermon with an appeal for an end to the conflict in the Gaza Strip, where a war was in progress between Israel and Hamas forces:

The tragic news reaching us from Gaza shows how the rejection of dialogue leads to situations that bear unspeakably heavily upon the peoples who are once again victims of hatred and war. War and hatred do not resolve problems. Very recent history also confirms this. Let us pray, therefore, that "the Child in the manger... may inspire the authorities and those responsible on both sides, Israeli and Palestinian, to take immediate action to put an end to the current tragic situation".

Concern for a quick end to fighting was also reiterated in the Pope's speech before the diplomatic corps on 8 January, and in an official statement at the UH Human Rights Council the following day. The Gaza war saw another crisis in Vatican-Israeli relations, as the President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace Renato Martino in a press interview referred to the Gaza Strip as a "big concentration camp", a statement that evoked angry reactions from Israeli government spokesmen.

In May 2009, Benedict XVI visited Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority, although this trip had at first been put in doubt because of persistent political fighting in Gaza. During the reception that was held for him in Bethlehem on 13 May, the Pope said:

the Holy See supports the right of your people to a sovereign Palestinian homeland in the land of your forefathers, secure and at peace with its neighbors, within internationally recognized borders.

On the same day, the Pope also visited Aida refugee camp, where he proclaimed his support for a Palestinian state and sounded veiled criticism of the wall being built by the Israeli government in the Palestinian territories. Benedict XVI reiterated his support for a Palestinian state in his address to the diplomatic corps in January 2010.

In June 2010 as part of the preparations for the Special Assembly of Bishops for the Middle East, the Synod of Bishops issued a working document. The document contained some criticism of the tendency of religious settlers and their supporters from among the Evangelical Christians, as it stated:

the temptation to look at the Bible as a prescription book in finding solutions to every problem needs to be avoided.

A clearer allusion to Evangelical practices was made later in the document:

certain Christian fundamentalist theologies use Sacred Scripture to justify the political injustice imposed on the Palestinians, making the position of Christian Arabs an even more sensitive issue.

The same document also referred to the Israeli control of the Palestinian territories as "occupation".

On 24 October 2010, the final statement by the Synod of Bishops chaired by Benedict XVI stated that "the necessary legal steps to put an end to the occupation of the different Arab territories", going on to say "Recourse to theological and biblical positions which use the word of God to wrongly justify injustices is not acceptable". It was well received by Palestinian diplomats, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat stating, "we was we join the synod in their call to the international community to uphold the universal values of freedom, dignity and justice." Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said that "The synod was hijacked by an anti-Israel majority". Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri welcomed the Synod's statements. The Franciscan Custodian of the Holy Land, Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, answered Ayalon's allegations in a press interview, claiming that the Synod resolutions were balanced and the criticism of Israeli policies was rooted in the reality of the conflict.

Following the Synod, the Holy See continued in its efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, and on 2 November, the Holy See Representative to the United Nations, Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, renewed the appeal to that effect at a session dedicated to UNRWA activities.

Initiatives to move the peace process forward were also taken by Catholic Bishops. In April 2011 a group of US Catholic Bishops – among them Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and Bishop Howard J. Hubbard – along with Reform Rabbies and Muslim religious leaders sent a collective letter to US President Obama to work for the establishment of a Palestinian state on the basis of 1967 borders. Following President Obama's speech of 19 May, the same Bishops issued a letter on 20 May, calling Obama to continue his efforts for a Palestinian state and to support the Fatah-Hamas unity government established.

Following Obama's and Netanyahu's May speeches regarding the future of the peace-process, the Franciscan Custos of the Holy Land Fr. Pierbattista Pizzaballa expressed some cautious optimism by congratulating the change of policy he found in the speeches by the two leaders, but stated that a real change was still far off.

In September 2011, as the Palestinian Authority decided to apply for UN membership, the Vatican decided neither to endorse nor to oppose the bid. On 9 January 2012, at an address to the diplomatic corps, the Pope expressed his support for the Jordanian initiative to launch low level Israeli-Palestinian talks.

Following the meeting of the joint Israeli-Vatican working commission on 12 June 2012, some media reports stated that the parties were discussing the possibility of Vatican recognition of Israeli control over East Jerusalem, but this was denied by the Vatican under secretary for Relations with States Msgr. Ettore Balestrero.

During operation Pillar of Defense in November 2012, he called to an end of the fighting and warned that war could spread in the region.

Following the UN General Assembly vote granting Palestine an observer state status on 29 November 2012, the Holy See hailed the UN resolution and called for resumption of negotiations to establish a Palestinian state.

Francis

Pope Francis' start of pontificate coincided with the beginning of Netanyahu's third cabinet. On the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Pope Francis showed support for any negotiations in progress, but refrained from presenting any particular ideas of his own, a trend reversed by his recognition of the State of Palestine in May 2015.

On April 30, 2013, the pope met Israeli president Shimon Peres, and expressed hope for the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. On December 1, 2013, the Pope met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Vatican and expressed hopes for a just solution to all issues between Israelis and Palestinians. Francis also welcomed the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in 2013-2014. In May 2014, he visited Israel and the Palestinian territories, the first visit by a Pope to the Palestinian territories following the statehood resolution in November 2012. At a public speech, he acknowledged the newly proclaimed State of Palestine. In addition, the Pope came up with a new initiative to hold a joint prayer for peace with Shimon Peres and the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. The joint prayer meeting took place on June 8, 2014 at the Gardens of Vatican City.