Whereas a Palestinian state is recognized prematurely, it took the Vatican a whopping 45-and-a-half years after the fact to bring itself to officially recognize Jewish self-determination.
Pope Paul VI at Meggido in 1964: He made sure the name Israel would never escape his lips. President Zalman Shazar stands to his right.(photo credit: GPO/ JERUSALEM POST ARCHIVES)BySARAH HONIG