ROME // Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Pope Francis yesterday as part of a visit to Rome during which he restated his firm opposition to a nuclear deal with Iran.
Mr Netanyahu was received for the first time for a short audience by the pontiff, who is expected to travel to the Middle East next year.
Francis and Mr Netanyahu met for 25 minutes for closed-door talks with the help of an interpreter.
The Israeli PM gave the pope a Spanish translation of his father Benzion Netanyahu’s book The Origins of the Inquisition in Fifteenth Century Spain.
The dedication was made out to “Pope Francis, a great shepherd of our common heritage”.
Mr Netanyahu and the pope had been expected to discuss negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, which resumed in July after a three-year hiatus but have faltered due to Israeli plans for new settlement building.
Israeli sources say Pope Francis’s visit to the Middle East could take place before Israeli President Shimon Peres ends his term in July.
Although no date has been made official, sources on both sides say it is likely to take place on May 25-26.
Israel and the Vatican first established full diplomatic relations in 1993, but have been engaged in years of thorny diplomatic negotiations over property rights and tax exemptions for the Catholic Church, which have yet to be fully resolved.
* Agence France-Presse
