Türkiye expects Italy to recognize Palestinian statehood

By Gozde Bayar

The Turkish president on Wednesday expressed hope that Italy would take a “fair stance” like Spain, Ireland and Norway, and recognize Palestinian statehood.

In a phone call, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni that he wishes Rome to be “on the right side of history,” Türkiye’s Communications Directorate said on X.

The two also discussed bilateral relations, Israel's massacres in Palestinian territories, as well as regional and global issues.

“Pressure should be increased to stop Israel's brutal attacks against Palestine and to force the Israeli administration to comply with international law,” the directorate quoted Erdogan as saying.

Underlining the importance of ensuring an immediate permanent cease-fire in Gaza, the Turkish president said Ankara’s priority is the release of captives and detainees and the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

On Tuesday, Norway, Spain and Ireland formally recognized Palestine as a state, in what Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez described as a "historic decision."

More than 36,100 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and around 80,000 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities in Israel’s onslaught on the Gaza Strip.

The attacks have pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel is accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.