Heads Up, Media! The Vatican Already Recognized the "State of Palestine" a Long Time Ago…

Ha’aretz headlines have just declared, "Vatican treaty uses term 'state of Palestine' for first time", and Israeli officials are "disappointed" and awaiting "clarifications".

It is certainly not the first time. JewishIsrael noted in our June 2014 report that official Vatican mouthpieces had been using the term "State of Palestine" on a number of occasions, going as far back as January 2013. At the time, Israel’s Foreign Ministry tried to make it go away by using virtual white out. Re-read the report Q: Does the Vatican Have a Political Agenda for Israel? A: Is the P... Here is what Jewish Israel remarked back then:

A full two months before the Pope arrived, the toxic mix of agendas became evident when, on March 2014, the official programme of the Pilgrimage of Pope Francis to the Holy Land was reported by Vatican Radio and released at a Press Conference at the offices of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. It was relayed that, “The Holy Father will visit three countries: Jordan, the State of Palestine, and Israel. The Pope’s schedule included a “COURTESY VISIT TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE STATE OF PALESTINE” as well as a “FAREWELL FROM THE STATE OF PALESTINE”.

Apparently Israel’s Foreign and Tourism Ministries were not too pleased with the Vatican’s terminology and they applied some virtual white-out to their version of Pope’s schedule, erasing “the State of Palestine”. However, there wasn’t much they could do to erase the stain of the Pope’s scheduled “VISIT TO THE GRAND MUFTI OF JERUSALEM in the building of the Great Council on the Esplanade of the Mosques.” The Mufti is not one to mince words and has been condemned in the international arena for the type of anti-Semitic vitriol he spews at the Jewish people.

None of this should come as a surprise to anyone following the Vatican’s Mid-East policy. As far back as January 2013, Vatican Insider (La Stampa) ran headlines declaring The Holy See negotiates with the “State of Palestine”.

Read the full report

When Rome Comes to Jerusalem: Papal Visit Causes High Anxiety in Is...

Questions Continue to Loom Over Mount Zion as Pope Prepares to Visit Israel

Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin Squashes Vatican Rumors on Cenac...

Israel gives Vatican control above Tomb of King David on Mount Zion

Vatican Radio anticipates Israel relinquishing control of Cenacle S...

Pope to get seat over the Tomb of King David

Jewish Israel Opens the Mt. Zion Vatican Vaults

Vatican-Israel Relations on the Brink

Tell it to the Vatican: Christianity is not land or shrine bound

Daniel Ayalon: Israel’s Ambassador for Christendom

JewishIsrael launches with a pope briefing