Vatican recognizes state of Palestine in new treaty

Pope Francis welcomes Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, right, as he arrives at the Vatican, Sunday, June 8, 2014. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca, Pool)

Jerusalem says move not conducive to peace, will consider ‘next steps’ after Holy See announcement ahead of weekend meeting between pope, Abbas

Belgian government to support Palestine recognition

The European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium (photo credit: CC BY Francisco Antunes, Flickr)

Text of motion stipulates recognition will only come ‘at a moment deemed appropriate’

Sweden recognizes Palestinian state; Israel upset

Sweden’s Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom talks during a news conference Thursday Oct. 30, 2014, at the government building Rosenbad, in Stockholm, after Sweden’s new government officially recognized a Palestinian state. Wallstrom said the Scandinavian country had decided on the move because the criteria of international law required for such recognition had been fulfilled.

Long-Delayed Biometric Database Pilot Program Gets Underway

Despite security scandals, court petitions and popular opposition, some Israelis can now receive a ‘super-safe’ ID card — or so they’ve been told

A sample ‘smart’ biometric ID card of the sort that will be issued to replace existing cards in the coming years (photo credit: Lior Mizrahi/Flash 90)

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Nearly four years after the Knesset passed a law authorizing it, a public “beta test” of Israel’s biometric database system was launched on Monday.

Residents of the central Israeli town of Rishon Lezion were invited to trade in their current Israeli identity cards for a new “smart card” that will digitally encode not only their personal information, but also their fingerprints, photo, and facial profile (the contours and other details of the face). The government will study the results of the voluntary pilot program, searching out glitches and problems in the system before it becomes mandatory — according to plans, in two years.