Vatican City – The Vatican hailed the United Nations’ implicit recognition of a Palestinian state on Thursday and called for an internationally guaranteed special status for Jerusalem, something bound to irritate Israel.
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The 193-nation U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution to upgrade the Palestinian Authority’s observer status at the United Nations from “entity” to “non-member state,” the same status as the Vatican.
“The Holy See welcomes with favour the decision of the General Assembly by which Palestine has become a Non-member Observer State of the United Nations,” a statement said.
But it also said it was a “propitious occasion” to recall a “common position” on Jerusalem expressed by the Vatican and the Palestine Liberation Organisation when the two sides signed a basic agreement on their bilateral relations in 2000.
Thursday’s statement called for “an internationally guaranteed special statute” for Jerusalem, aimed at “safeguarding the freedom of religion and of conscience, the identity and sacred character of Jerusalem as a Holy City, (and) respect for, and freedom of, access to its holy places.”
The Vatican’s re-stating of its position on Jerusalem, which has remained mostly dormant for years, was bound to irk Israel, which says there is no need for an international status for Jerusalem because those guarantees already exist.
Israel declared Jerusalem its “united and eternal” capital in 1980 after annexing East Jerusalem in the Six Day War in 1967. World powers have not recognised the annexation.
Palestinians want East Jerusalem to be the capital of an eventual state.
Israel has always resisted the concept of any form of international mandate over Jerusalem.
It has been some time since the Vatican re-stated its position on the city so forcefully, and Thursday’s statement was bound to be received negatively by Israel, a diplomat with direct knowledge of their relations said.
Israel has always maintained that it already guarantees the city’s special nature as sacred to the three great monotheistic religions – Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
Thursday’s statement called on both sides to seek an “effective commitment to building peace and stability, in justice and in the respect for legitimate aspirations, both of the Israelis and of the Palestinians.”
The Vatican and Israel established full diplomatic relations in 1994. Both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict visited the Jewish state and Palestinian territories.
When they return the menora they looted from the Bais Hamikdash we can talk.
Sorry, but the last time the Pope was in Israel, he wanted the Tomb of David and also sided with the PA about Kever Rachel. I do not trust the Vatican one iota. Not one bit!! Watch out!!
The Catholic church has a great record of respecting other religions. Crusades, Inquisitions, Burning of the Talmud, forced baptisms and conversions.
Perhaps the Vatican would be wise to study its own record and its own “saints” such as St. Louis who was a intolerant Jew hater.
Bottom line those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
I didn’t hear a peep from the pope when Jews could not enter holy sites in Jerusholayim. Very undiplomatic to speak up so quickly. It should be a lesson to all those that would bow and kowtow to these rulers disguised as holy men.
If they want guarantees on Yerushalayim, we’ll gladly guarantee that the holy city will belong to the Jewish people like it always has ad biyas goel tzedek bimheirah. All faiths and religions are warmly welcome, as it says My house shall be a house of prayer to all the nations.
So what else is new
We as jews have heard enough from the vatican. Including their silence while we were being herded like sheep to the slaughter. I think it best they just stay quite.
Israel’s existence is denial of Catholic dogma. The Vatican or its bishops Hudal and Draganovic facilitated the flight from justice of Stangl,commandant of Treblinka, Mengele the physician butcher of Jews in Auschwitz, Eichman and many others, a curse on the Vatican
Opus Dei a branch of the Jesuits is openly antisemitic. While in Italy a Jesuit Priest told me the following. I asked him the Nazis killed Jewish children .His response “anche loro hanno riettato il Signore”, they too rejected the Lord.
November 30, 2012
OPEN LETTER TO POPE BENEDICT
Dear Pope Benedict,
I hereby present a hypothetical scenario. Consider this scenario carefully and you will understand the negative Jewish reaction to your recent endorsement of the creation of a Palestinian state in what was Biblical Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) and UN “observer status” now for that entity. Suppose King Messiah has just come to Earth and proclaimed his everlasting kingdom.
The group of Christians who call themselves Protestants are self-understood to be the spiritual heirs of St. Paul. Suppose they would believe that, like
1) the Roman Catholics have Vatican City in Rome,
2) the Muslims have Mecca, and
3) the Jews have Jerusalem,
the Protestants need a “holy spot” too. Suppose also, that, in 1922, Britain, or some other world power, had given away 77% of Rome to the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
Now, a different Protestant group, say, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, makes the claim to King Messiah that they want much of the remaining part (23%) of Rome for their homeland. Further, they declare their unswerving commitment to
1) eventually expel all Roman Catholics from Vatican City,
2) eventually remove every vestige of the Roman Church in Vatican City, and
3) immediately establish their capital in Vatican City just a few blocks from where you live.
Imagine if they claimed that, until recently, Roman Catholics had never lived in Rome and all the Arab states in the United Nations and many of the non-Catholic countries support the Lutherans’ historical revisionism and territorial claims regarding Rome and Vatican City.
Surely, King Messiah would invite you to present the official response of your Roman Church to the Lutherans’ claim. You might argue that the Missouri Synod Lutherans have never held sovereignty in Vatican City and have no legitimate claim to it. You might say that the Lutherans want Vatican City only because your Roman Church was there first. That is, you would be alleging that the Lutheran attempt to assert control in, of all places, Vatican City, was primarily a Shtuch. You might marshal Biblical proofs and historical arguments to support your claim and you might argue the Lutherans’ claim is preposterous. You might argue that G-d is on your side.
Question: In the interests of “world peace,” would you agree to surrender to the
Question: In the interests of “world peace,” would you agree to surrender to the
Lutherans much of what you know to be yours?
When you seriously consider this hypothetical scenario, you will begin to understand the predominant Jewish view of the proposal to create a Jordanian sister state to be called Palestine – with its capital in Jerusalem.
News media are now reporting your call for “an internationally guaranteed special statute” for Jerusalem, aimed at “safeguarding the freedom of religion and of conscience, the identity and sacred character of Jerusalem as a Holy City, (and) respect for, and freedom of, access to its holy places.” Jewish people and intellectually honest non-Jews cannot take your proposal seriously. During the 19 long years, 1948-1967, when the Kingdom of Jordan refused entry to the Old City of Jerusalem to all Jews, I recall that your predecessor, Pope Pius was silent about the failure of the Jordanians to honor their responsibility to provide for the internationalization of the Holy City and access to its (Jewish) holy places. In 1948, the Jordanians implemented a 100% successful ethnic cleansing of the Jewish residents of the
of the Old City. The Old City remained Judenrein until June, 1967. It will not be necessary for me to translate that word for you.
As the supreme moral authority of Roman Catholicism, your recent pronouncement about “Palestine” is quite revealing. The democratically elected leadership of the Gaza Palestinians, Hamas, has sworn a sacred oath in its political platform to destroy the neighboring nation, the State of Israel. Over 12,000 rockets fired by Hamas at Israel’s civilian population since 2000 prove that its words are not “empty.” Yet, with such a poor track record in the behavior rating category called, “Plays well with others,” you readily endorse the creation of a bellicose Palestinian state next to their intended victim, Israel. I cannot believe that you think that this is a positive step toward peace.
The first construction project of an independent sovereign state called Arab Palestine will be an airport with the capability to handle military aircraft. The second project will be a mass grave for the casualties resulting from the nuclear war between Israel and various suicidal Muslim nations.
You believe that you are the representative of
Old City. You believe that you are the representative of the Prince of Peace. Aren’t your proposals and pronouncements incongruent with a Peace that can be enjoyed by your older cousins in monotheism, the Jews?
Sincerely,
Dr. Bert Miller
Baltimore
for all the geniuses who said this UN vote was meaningless or a good idea,see here’s the problem. whatever the pali’s get simply opens the door to getting even more.
L’Cha Etnena. It’s in the Bible! Eretz Yisroel was promised to us. For us to merit it we have to stand together.
To #1 I believe the menorah was melted down after the year 70 and they used the gold to build the Roman Coliseum. It is written in Latin at the Coliseum. They don’t want anybody to know that. It is no big secret.
theyn better watch out their vatican will soon turn into a mosque.
Look at how the Muslim world went crazy when a Christian questioned the legitimization of Islam in a Youtube video, they’ll burn your churches to the ground as they “take back” what they feel is theirs.
Doctor Miller- you’re preaching (no pun intended) to the choir. No one ever said it made sense, it’s another way for the Vatican to make us look like monsters while they look like saints.
The Vatican should take heed from the Pastor who wrote, “First they came for the Socialists”….and then they came for the JEWS! Perhaps they would feel differently if G-d forbid Jerusalem ever fell under Islamic Rule and only Muslims were allowed entry!
The Vatican museum has closed up areas not open to the public. Rome was ransacked by the Goths and Vandals whether the menorah is still in the possession of the Vatican is a guess.The Vatican has rare Hebrew manuscript which were not purchased but the Vatican despite of Stalin’s argument has an Army in this country ,Europe and South America and Opus Deis is antisemitic as ever
The Vatican is composed of layers, the Pope, Pontifex maximum, Secretary of State and the most influential is the Curia. The American emissary of the Vatican former Senator and unsuccessful candidate Santorum
To all those who on this website vocally condemn the Vatican the fact is you love the Vatican because you screamed about Barak Hussein Obama but joyfully embraced Mr. Romney who promised Santorum a big voice in his administration the de facto emissary of the Vatican.
who gives a kishke what a nazi sitting on the throne of esav has to say?