151 Fundamental Agreement between the Holy See and the State of Israel- 30 December 1993

On 15 July 1992 Israel and the Holy See agreed on an agenda for negotiations. This came after the Madrid Peace Conference and the beginning of Arab-Israeli peace negotiations. On 29 July 1992 the Vatican decided to establish a "Bilateral Permanent Working Commission" with Israel to study the areas of common interest with a view to normalize relations. The Israeli team was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Dr. Yossi Beilin. After a year of negotiations and mindful of the historic process of reconciliation between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people, a fundamental agreement was signed in Jerusalem calling for the establishment of full diplomatic relations between Israel and the Vatican. Israel committed itself to maintain and respect the status quo in the Christian Holy Places and the right of the Catholic Church to carry out its religious, educational, moral and charitable functions in Israel. The Church will continue to have rights to property. In July 1994 full diplomatic relations were established between Israel and the Holy See and ambassadors were exchanged. The agreement, although limited in nature to state-state relations, and dealing with temporal matters, was a milestone in Jewish-Christian relations. Text: