Pope Francis met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Vatican on Thursday. The Secretariat of State stressed the need to restart direct dialogue to achieve a two-state solution with Israel.
“With regard to the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians, it was stressed that it is absolutely necessary to reactivate direct dialogue in order to achieve a two-state solution, also with the help of more vigorous effort on the part of the international community,” a Vatican statement said. Abbas met privately the Pope in the Apostolic Palace on November 4, before entering into discussions with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s equivalent of a foreign minister.