The Vatican signed a treaty with the “State of Palestine” on Friday.

The Vatican signed a treaty with the “State of Palestine” on Friday, saying it hoped its legal recognition of the state would help “stimulate peace with Israel” and that the treaty itself would serve as a model for other Mideast countries.

The Vatican's Foreign Minister Archbishop Paul Gallagher and his Palestinian counterpart, Riad al-Malki, signed the treaty at a ceremony inside the Vatican.

The accord, the result of 15 years of negotiations, covers “essential aspects of the life and activity of the Catholic Church in the State of Palestine,” the Vatican said in a statement.

Gallagher said the agreement could be a “stimulus to bringing a definitive end to the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which continues to cause suffering for both parties.”

He also called for the two countries to take “courageous decisions” so that the “much desired two-state solution may become a reality as soon as possible.”

The Vatican said last month that it would sign the agreement, which Archbishop Gallagher described as offering “a good example of dialogue and cooperation” to other countries in the Middle East.

For its part, Israeli Foreign Ministry expressed its disappointment, calling the signing of a treaty “a hasty step that hurt the prospects of peace.”

In a foreign ministry statement released on Friday, the Zionist entity said the move would discourage the Palestinians from returning to direct negotiations.

It warned that it would study the agreement “and its implications for future cooperation between Israel and the Vatican.”