Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin emphasized this position in statements to the media, while lamenting the fact that this path “is becoming increasingly difficult also due to the situation that arose and continues to occur in the West Bank,” with Israeli settlements in that territory.

In this exchange with the press the day before, published on the Vatican News website, Parolin stressed the importance of “recognizing the two states, Israel and Palestine, so that they may coexist autonomously, but also in cooperation and security.”

The cardinal criticized those who consider recognizing the State of Palestine “premature” and reaffirmed his hope that the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Resolution of the Palestinian Question and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, currently taking place at UN Headquarters, “will bear some fruit.”

In an editorial published in Vatican News last Saturday, the Holy See reiterated its call for recognition of the State of Palestine as a responsibility that the international community must assume.

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