Abbas urges Italy to recognize Palestinian state

By Aysar Alais and Rania Abu Shamala

RAMALLAH, Palestine/ ISTANBUL (AA) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday called on Italy to recognize the state of Palestine, saying the move would help protect the two-state solution and consolidate the foundations of peace.

The remarks came in a speech he delivered at the annual conference of the Brothers of Italy Party in Rome, where Abbas stressed that the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital is “the only way to ensure lasting security and stability in the region.”

Abbas said that a fully sovereign Palestinian state “would not be a security burden on anyone but would instead serve as a source of regional stability and a responsible partner in maintaining security and building peace.”

He added that the Palestinian people “aspire to live in their homeland with freedom and dignity, in a modern state that upholds democracy, peaceful transfer of power, pluralism, equality, and the rejection of violence.”

“Countries recognizing Palestine do so as a positive investment in the future of peace and stability,” Abbas said.

He expressed hope that Italy will continue to move forward on this path in support of the two-state solution.

Against the backdrop of a brutal Israeli war that killed more than 70,000 people in Gaza, several countries recognized Palestinian statehood during UN meetings in September, bringing the total to 160 of the UN’s 193 member states.