Itongadol.- The Prime Minster Binyamin Netanyahu held a historic first audience on Monday with Pope Francis at the Vatican.
The two reportedly discussed Iran\’s disputed nuclear program and the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiation. Talks were set to touch on the situation of Christian populations in Israel and the Middle East.
Netanyahu, who was accompanied by his wife Sara, gifted the pope a book about the Spanish inquisition written by his father Benzion Netanyahu, a prominent historian. It bore the inscription: "To His Holiness Pope Francis, great guardian of our common heritage."
The pontiff gave the Israeli premier a carved panel of Saint Paul.
At the end of the 25-minute meeting, Netanyahu\’s wife told the pope: "We are expecting you, we can\’t wait."
Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said no date has been set for the trip.
Israeli diplomatic officials said that any time the pope and the prime minister meet it is significant, especially since the idea of Jewish sovereignty was not always something easy for the Vatican to accept – Israel and the Vatican only established diplomatic ties in 1993.
To date, there have been only three papal visits to Israel. The first was in 1964, when Pope Paul VI came to Jerusalem.
A Vatican advance team is expected to arrive in Israel in the near future to plan for a papal visit, which could happen next year.
CNN reported over the weekend that the pontiff would visit from May 25-26, citing an unnamed senior Israeli source.
When Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein urged him to visit Israel during an October meeting at the Vatican, Pope Francis replied, “I’ll come! I’ll come!”
During an audience at the Vatican in October, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas also invited Francis to visit.
In April, President Shimon Peres invited the pope to the Holy Land, but the Vatican did not issue any formal confirmation of a trip.
Following his meeting at the Vatican, Netanyahu will also speak with Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta.
Netanyahu had hoped to meet the pope in October, when he visited Rome for talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. But the Vatican said Francis was too busy, fueling Israeli media speculation of a snub.
On Sunday, he reiterated his concerns about the international community going soft on Iran following last month\’s interim deal on the country\’s nuclear program.
"Iran aspires to attain an atomic bomb. It would thus threaten not only Israel but also Italy, Europe and the entire world," Netanyahu said at a ceremony at Rome\’s synagogue, where he was accompanied by his Italian counterpart Enrico Letta.
"The most dangerous regime in the world must not be allowed to have the most dangerous weapon in the world," Netanyahu said.
The premier was expected to personally invite the pontiff to visit Jerusalem.