Today, the inauguration of the first Palestinian Embassy in the Vatican, will take place, which will be attended by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Pope Francis, according to a statement from a spokesperson for the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Maan News Agency reported.
Maan noted that according to the statement, Abbas’ tour began on Wednesday and will conclude on either Sunday or Monday. In addition to meeting with the Pope for the embassy’s inauguration on Friday, “Abbas will also meet with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, and travel to Paris to meet with French President Francois Hollande.”
According to the Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs Riyad al-Maliki, Abbas will discuss in his meetings the risks of the US government’s intention to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, “hoping that the Pope will participate in sending a strong message” to President-elect Trump.
The #Vatican now. Tomorrow the Embassy of #Palestine will be opened a few meters from here. pic.twitter.com/MlKhIMtA8n
— Xavier Abu Eid (@xabueid) January 13, 2017
Abbas’ meeting with Hollande is set to take place on either Sunday or Monday, while the Paris peace conference will be held on Sunday without the participation of Israeli and Palestinian representatives. The conference is scheduled to discuss ways to save the ‘two-state solution’ in Palestine and Israel.
A large number of Palestinian activists and intellectuals have criticized the two-state solution as unsustainable and unlikely to bring durable peace, proposing instead a binational state with equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians.
(MAAN, PC, Social Media)
