And in 2015, the Vatican identified Palestine as a sovereign state in a signed agreementrecognizing freedom of religion in Palestine, outlining the rights and obligations of the Church there, and backing a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
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Conference participants are expected to call for the establishment of a Palestinian state as the “only way” to ensure peace.
During Sunday’s conference in Paris, Hollande highlighted the wars in Syria and Iraq and said Middle East peace can only be achieved through a negotiated settlement directly between Palestinians and Israelis.
Some 70 countries attended the talks and both sides were urged not to pursue unilateral action that could damage negotiations.
Relations between the U.S. and Israel have deteriorated under Barack Obama. Worldwide peace summits such as these, with neither Israelis nor Palestinians in attendance, can result only in further derailing this critical negotiations process.
“If the countries convening in Paris really want to advance peace, they should pressure Abu Mazen to respond to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s invitation to have direct negotiations”.
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the Paris meeting is “futile” and rigged”. The conference “pushes peace further away” by hardening Palestinian positions, he said Sunday.
Sunday’s conference was held amid severe tension between Israel and the global community after the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution last month denouncing Israeli settlements on the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The settlements are considered illegal under worldwide law, though Israel disputes this.
Indeed, the spokesman’s statement noted that the confab took place against Israel’s expressed wishes and “just days before the transition to a new American president when the United States will be the ultimate guarantor of any agreement”. But, as Ayrault said in his address, the goal of the French hosts is to make a first step toward reopening peace talks, even if it’s a small one.
The timing of the talks in Paris – just days before Donald Trump moves into the White House – appear very deliberate.
Mr Trump has also promised to move the USA embassy to Jerusalem. Lately he has tempered the pledge by suggesting the embassy could remain in Tel Aviv while the ambassador works out of the consulate in Jerusalem.
“It’s very unsafe”, a diplomat told CNN. “It is American recognition that Jerusalem is part of the State of Israel”.
Following his meeting with Pope Francis, President Abbas told journalists he hoped President-elect Trump would not move forward with the proposal.
At the summit there were no representatives from Israel nor from Palestine, while the United Kingdom – which did not sign the final communique – chose to remain an observer. However there is high mutual mistrust.
Hollande’s claim notwithstanding, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict emerged in the early decades of the 20th century – some 1,300 years after the beginning of the Sunni-Shi’a rift that underpins much of the instability across the region today.
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Witnesses told the Palestinian state agency WAFA that Israeli tanks patrolling the border area bombed with one missile and opened fired with machine guns towards a location east of Rafah. Others were killed in clashes with troops.
