Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin has reiterated the Holy See’s support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Middle East. Source: NCR Online.
“The Holy See’s position is clear: the two-state solution, based on secure and internationally recognised borders, is the only viable and equitable path toward a just and lasting peace,” Cardinal Parolin told world leaders and top diplomats at high-level meetings during the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 24.
The two-state solution is a proposed peace plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by creating two separate, independent countries within the former British territory of Mandatory Palestine: Israel as a homeland for the Jewish people, and Palestine for the Palestinian people in a state based on the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
“The Holy See continues to uphold the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people,” Cardinal Parolin said.
These inalienable rights include their right to self-determination, according to the cardinal. The Holy See also called attaining “freedom, security and dignity within an independent and sovereign state” a “legitimate aspiration”.
Cardinal Parolin said the 2025 resolution to end the war in the Gaza Strip, which was introduced by United States President Donald Trump “to consolidate the ceasefire, promote the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza, and establish a foundation for a more stable future” was a welcome development.
But, he said, “these efforts cannot be viewed in isolation from the broader political context. Gaza must be considered in the context of the future of the Palestinian people as a whole”.
He added that it would not be enough for the Palestinians to exist on humanitarian aid and reconstruction efforts that have been ongoing in Gaza since fighting ignited after the October 7, 2023, attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on southern Israel.
Israel declared war after the attack, where Hamas militants killed some 1,200 Israelis and abducted 251 hostages. At least 73,928 Palestinians have been killed and 175,030 injured in the Gaza War, according to figures reported by Gaza’s Health Ministry.
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Vatican’s top diplomat pushes 2-state solution, ‘limits’ on AI at UN General Assembly (By Simone Orendain, OSV News via NCR Online)
