Vatican signs treaty with "State of Palestine"

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- The Vatican signed a treaty with the "State of Palestine" on Friday, saying it hoped its legal recognition of the state would help stimulate peace with Israel and that the treaty itself would serve as a model for other Mideast countries.

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Israel expressed disappointment when the Vatican announced last month that it had reached final agreement with the "State of Palestine" on the treaty regulating the life of the Catholic Church in the Palestinian territories. It repeated that regret in a Foreign Ministry statement Friday. More...