Italy's Meloni: Recognizing Palestinian state before it is established may be ‘counterproductive'
'I am very much in favor of the State of Palestine but I am not in favor of recognizing it prior to establishing it,' Meloni told Italian daily La Repubblica.
'If something that doesn't exist is recognized on paper, the problem could appear to be solved when it isn't,' Meloni added.
France's decision to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September drew condemnation from Israel and the United States, amid the war in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas. On Friday, Italy's foreign minister said recognition of a Palestinian state must occur simultaneously with recognition of Israel by the new Palestinian entity. A German government spokesperson said on Friday that Berlin was not planning to recognize a Palestinian state in the short term and said its priority now is to make 'long-overdue progress' toward a two-state solution.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Aid Trucks Move from Egypt to Gaza after Israel Said it Began Airdrops
Aid trucks started moving towards Gaza from Egypt, the Egyptian state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV said on Sunday, after months of international pressure and warnings from relief agencies of starvation spreading in the Palestinian enclave. Israel said that it began aid airdrops to Gaza on Saturday and was taking several other steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, reported Reuters. The Israeli military said "humanitarian corridors" would be established for safe movement of United Nations convoys delivering aid to Gazans and that "humanitarian pauses" would be implemented in densely populated areas. Dozens of trucks carrying tons of humanitarian aid moved towards the Karam Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing in southern Gaza, the Al Qahera correspondent said from the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza. International aid organizations say there is mass hunger among Gaza's 2.2 million people, with food running out after Israel cut off all supplies to the territory in March, before resuming it in May with new restrictions. Israel says it has let enough food into Gaza and accuses the United Nations of failing to distribute it. The United Nations says it is operating as effectively as possible under Israeli restrictions. Israel's announcement on airdrops came after indirect ceasefire talks in Doha between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas were broken off with no deal in sight. The Israeli military said in a statement that the airdrops would be conducted in coordination with international aid organizations and would include seven pallets of aid containing flour, sugar, and canned food. Palestinian sources confirmed that aid had begun dropping in northern Gaza. Israel's foreign ministry said the military would "apply a 'humanitarian pause' in civilian centers and in humanitarian corridors" on Sunday morning. It provided no further details. The Israeli military said in its Saturday statement that the Israeli army 'emphasizes that there is no starvation in the Gaza Strip; this is a false campaign promoted by Hamas'. "Responsibility for food distribution to the population in Gaza lies with the UN and international aid organizations. Therefore, the UN and international organizations are expected to improve the effectiveness of aid distribution and to ensure that the aid does not reach Hamas." AID SHIP INTERCEPTED The Israeli military stressed that despite the humanitarian steps, "combat operations have not ceased" in the Gaza Strip. Separately, international activists on an aid ship that set sail from Italy en route to Gaza said in a post on X that the vessel had been intercepted. The Israeli foreign ministry said on X that naval forces "stopped the vessel from illegally entering the maritime zone of the coast of Gaza," that it was being taken to Israeli shores and all passengers were safe. The UN said on Thursday that humanitarian pauses in Gaza would allow "the scale up of humanitarian assistance" and said Israel had not provided enough route alternatives for its convoys hindering aid access. Dozens of Gazans have died of malnutrition in the past few weeks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry while 127 people have died due to malnutrition, including 85 children, since the start of the war, which began nearly two years ago. On Wednesday, more than 100 aid agencies warned that mass starvation was spreading across the enclave. The military also said on Saturday that it had connected a power line to a desalination plant, expected to supply daily water needs for about 900,000 Gazans. Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas-led fighters stormed Israeli towns near the border, killing some 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages on October 7, 2023. Since then, Israeli forces have killed nearly 60,000 people in Gaza, health officials there say, and reduced much of the enclave to ruins.
Al Arabiya
3 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Aid trucks move from Egypt to Gaza after Israel said it began airdrops
Aid trucks started moving towards Gaza from Egypt, the Egyptian state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV said on Sunday, after months of international pressure and warnings from relief agencies of starvation spreading in the Palestinian enclave. Israel said that it began aid airdrops to Gaza on Saturday and was taking several other steps to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The Israeli military said 'humanitarian corridors' would be established for safe movement of United Nations convoys delivering aid to Gazans and that 'humanitarian pauses' would be implemented in densely populated areas. Dozens of trucks carrying tonnes of humanitarian aid moved towards the Karam Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing in southern Gaza, the Al Qahera correspondent said from the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza. International aid organizations say there is mass hunger among Gaza's 2.2 million people, with food running out after Israel cut off all supplies to the territory in March, before resuming it in May with new restrictions. Israel says it has let enough food into Gaza and accuses the United Nations of failing to distribute it. The United Nations says it is operating as effectively as possible under Israeli restrictions. Israel's announcement on airdrops came after indirect ceasefire talks in Doha between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas were broken off with no deal in sight. The Israeli military said in a statement that the airdrops would be conducted in coordination with international aid organizations and would include seven pallets of aid containing flour, sugar, and canned food. Palestinian sources confirmed that aid had begun dropping in northern Gaza. Israel's foreign ministry said the military would 'apply a 'humanitarian pause' in civilian centers and in humanitarian corridors' on Sunday morning. It provided no further details. 'The IDF emphasizes that there is no starvation in the Gaza Strip; this is a false campaign promoted by Hamas,' the Israeli military said in its Saturday statement. 'Responsibility for food distribution to the population in Gaza lies with the UN and international aid organizations. Therefore, the UN and international organizations are expected to improve the effectiveness of aid distribution and to ensure that the aid does not reach Hamas.' Aid ship intercepted The Israeli military stressed that despite the humanitarian steps, 'combat operations have not ceased' in the Gaza Strip. Separately, international activists on an aid ship that set sail from Italy en route to Gaza said in a post on X that the vessel had been intercepted. The Israeli foreign ministry said on X that naval forces 'stopped the vessel from illegally entering the maritime zone of the coast of Gaza,' that it was being taken to Israeli shores and all passengers were safe. The UN said on Thursday that humanitarian pauses in Gaza would allow 'the scale up of humanitarian assistance' and said Israel had not provided enough route alternatives for its convoys hindering aid access. Dozens of Gazans have died of malnutrition in the past few weeks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry while 127 people have died due to malnutrition, including 85 children, since the start of the war, which began nearly two years ago. On Wednesday, more than 100 aid agencies warned that mass starvation was spreading across the enclave. The military also said on Saturday that it had connected a power line to a desalination plant, expected to supply daily water needs for about 900,000 Gazans. Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas-led fighters stormed Israeli towns near the border, killing some 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages on October 7, 2023. Since then, Israeli forces have killed nearly 60,000 people in Gaza, health officials there say, and reduced much of the enclave to ruins.
Asharq Al-Awsat
4 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Palestinians Hold Mixed Views as France Prepares to Recognize State
Palestinians expressed mixed opinions Friday after French President Emmanuel Macron said he would recognize a Palestinian state, with enthusiasm mitigated by the world's failure to stem suffering in Gaza. 'We hope it will be implemented, and we hope that most or all countries around the world will follow France's lead in recognizing the Palestinian people's right to an independent state,' said Nabil Abdel Razek, a resident of Ramallah, home to the Palestinian Authority. Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, the PA was intended to be a building bloc toward the establishment of a state. At a newsagent in the central square of the West Bank city, several front-page headlines mentioned President Emmanuel Macron's late Thursday evening announcement. 'All of these decisions not only affirm the rights of the Palestinian people, but also contribute to changing the violent reality in the region and lead to greater stability,' said Ahmed Ghoneim, a political activist, as he headed off to a demonstration in solidarity with Gaza. Ghoneim said he also hopes France's move will inspire other European countries, given that at least 142 of the 193 UN member states recognize a Palestinian state, according to an AFP tally. But analysts are more cautious. 'The question for Palestinians is what will France do NOW about Israel starving them in Gaza,' Nour Odeh, a political commentator, wrote on X. Others also agreed the main issue for Palestinians is Gaza. 'What France should have recognized is the genocide and taken measures to end it and end the occupation,' said Ines Abdel Razek, co-director of the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy (PIPD). In an interview with AFP, she said France should cut relations with Israel and impose a trade embargo. 'An example of a brave gesture is the Colombian president asking his army to block boats transporting energy and arms to Israel,' she said. While saying France's promise is just 'symbolic,' Samer Sinijlawi, another political activist, noted Macron's call for elections in the Palestinian territories and said this 'brings us hope.'
