Italy reaffirms support for 2-state solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict as path to regional peace

By Baris Seckin

ROME (AA) – Italy's President Sergio Mattarella said on Monday that the establishment of a Palestinian state is an indispensable condition for providing Palestinians with justice and hope for the future, as well as ensuring strong security guarantees for Israelis.

President Mattarella, accompanied by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, made these remarks at the opening of the 17th Italian Ambassadors' Conference in Rome, highlighting the significant uncertainties in the international arena.

He noted that the world is currently witnessing a resurgence of nationalist and ethnic separatist rhetoric, warning that this trend will lead to deep divisions and conflicts.

Underlining the Palestinian people's need for their own state, Mattarella said: "Regarding Palestine, it must be unequivocally reaffirmed that, for the Italian Republic, the true prospect for the future lies in the two-state solution.

“Pursuing the goal of establishing a Palestinian state means offering the people of the West Bank and Gaza a sense of justice and a hopeful outlook for their future, which is also an indispensable condition for providing Israel with ultimate and solid security guarantees."

Mattarella also touched upon developments in Syria, emphasizing that "the emergence of a newly defined state in Syria will need to be supported with similar resolve, both in terms of its political and humanitarian implications."

Israel has launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip that has killed nearly 45,000 victims, mostly women and children, since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

The second year of genocide in Gaza has drawn growing international condemnation, with officials and institutions labeling the attacks and the blocking of aid deliveries as a deliberate attempt to destroy a population.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants last month for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on Gaza.