Pope Francis met on November 4 with Palestinian President Mahoud Abbas. After the meeting the Vatican issued a statement calling upon Israel and Palestine “to reactivate direct dialogue in order to achieve a two-state solution.”

The Vatican statement also said that the Pope and Abbas had agreed that “Jerusalem must be recognized by all as a place of encounter and not of conflict, and that its status must preserve its identity and universal value as a Holy City for all three Abrahamic religions, also through a special internationally guaranteed status.”