PNN / Bethlehem

The Vatican Friday signed a historic accord with Palestine, AFP writes on its Twitter account.

The accord is the first agreement between the two parts since the Vatican recognized Palestine as a state, and it “deals with essential aspects of the life and activity of the Catholic Church in Palestine” reports J Post.

The Vatican called for courageous decisions to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with a two-state solution, the newspaper reports.

Israel expressed disappointment last month at the Vatican’s announcement that it reached the outline of an agreement with the Palestinians and at the Holy See’s use of the term State of Palestine for the first time in an official document.

According to the newspaper, Israel and the Vatican have been unable, after some 16 years of negotiations, to sign an agreement that would deal with matters such as the status of the Catholic Church in Israel.