Fences, Mended

Vatican and Israel make up:

A dispute between Israel and the Vatican over Pope Benedict XVI's comments on terrorism appears to have been resolved, after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon sent a letter calling the pontiff "a true friend of Israel," Israel's ambassador said Friday.

Israel's top diplomat at the Holy See, Oded Ben Hur, brought the letter Tuesday to the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, in what the envoy called an "amicable and intimate" meeting that signaled that "we definitely see this thing behind us and are looking forward to improving our relationship."