RAMALLAH – On Wednesday, November 4, the President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas received, Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, Apostolic Nuncio in Israel, Apostolic Delegate in Jerusalem and Palestine, who presented to the President a copy of the Bilateral Agreement signed at the Vatican on June 26, 2015 and ratified recently.
Accompanying the Apostolic delegation were: His Beatitude Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fr. Ibrahim Faltas, Treasurer of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, Fr. Emile Salayta, Head of the Ecclesiastical Court in Jerusalem and Israel.
President Abbas briefed Archbishop Lazzarotto on the latest events in Palestine, as well as on the arbitrary measures taken by Israel against Palestinians, especially in Jerusalem.
During the meeting the President thanked the Pope and the Holy See for recognizing the State of Palestine, hoping that other European countries will follow suit, confirming that the recognition of a Palestinian State within the 1967 borders was both “an ethical and principle-based” matter. President Abbas expressed the wish that Pope Francis will continue to pray for justice and peace in the Holy Land.
Also present during the meeting were: Mr. Hanna Amireh, Head of the Department of Religious Affairs of the Palestinian Government; Mr. Ziad Bandak, advisor of the Palestinian President for Church Affairs; and Mr. Issa Qassissiyeh, Ambassador of Palestine to the Holy See.
Source: Wafa news agency
