Relationship dossier
Vatican City
Israel
Relationship assessment
Formal diplomatic partnership shaped by agreements and recurring disputes over church affairs and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Vatican City toward Israel
+35The Holy See established a bilateral framework with Israel through the 1993 Fundamental Agreement and maintains diplomatic engagement. It has also raised concerns relating to church property, holy sites, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel toward Vatican City
+35Israel entered the 1993 Fundamental Agreement with the Holy See and established diplomatic relations in 1994, providing a basis for ongoing bilateral engagement. Disputes concerning church property and taxation have remained part of the relationship.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship rests on formal diplomatic ties and a durable bilateral agreement, with continuing engagement on church affairs. Unresolved questions about church property and taxation, alongside disagreements connected to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and holy sites, prevent the partnership from being closer.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
The Holy See and Israel maintain formal diplomatic relations and a durable framework for bilateral engagement, including the 1993 Fundamental Agreement and subsequent negotiations over church affairs. The relationship also involves recurring disagreements concerning church property and tax arrangements, as well as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the status of holy sites. Cooperation is sustained but accompanied by significant unresolved issues.
Areas of tension
- Disputes over the tax treatment and property status of Catholic institutions in Israel.
- Differences concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the status of holy sites.
Key developments
The Holy See and Israel signed the Fundamental Agreement, establishing a framework for bilateral relations and addressing the status of the Catholic Church in Israel.
The Holy See and Israel established formal diplomatic relations.
Major uncertainties
- The implementation and current scope of agreements on church property and taxation are unclear.
- The extent of bilateral coordination on holy sites and related regional issues is uncertain.