Recognising Palestinian state before it is established may be 'counterproductive,' says Italian PM Meloni
"I am very much in favour of the State of Palestine but I am not in favour of recognising it prior to establishing it," Meloni told Italian daily La Repubblica.
"If something that doesn't exist is recognised on paper, the problem could appear to be solved when it isn't," Meloni added.
France's decision to recognise 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.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks during the Italy-Algeria summit at Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome, Italy. Reuters
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 recognise a Palestinian state in the short term and said its priority now is to make "long-overdue progress" towards a two-state solution.
Reuters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Zawya
an hour ago
- Zawya
Out-gunned Europe accepts least-worst US trade deal
LONDON - In the end, Europe found it lacked the leverage to pull Donald Trump's America into a trade pact on its terms and so has signed up to a deal it can just about stomach - albeit one that is clearly skewed in the U.S.'s favour. As such, Sunday's agreement on a blanket 15% tariff after a months-long stand-off is a reality check on the aspirations of the 27-country European Union to become an economic power able to stand up to the likes of the United States or China. The cold shower is all the more bracing given that the EU has long portrayed itself as an export superpower and champion of rules-based commerce for the benefit both of its own soft power and the global economy as a whole. For sure, the new tariff that will now be applied is a lot more digestible than the 30% "reciprocal" tariff which Trump threatened to invoke in a few days. While it should ensure Europe avoids recession, it will likely keep its economy in the doldrums: it sits somewhere between two tariff scenarios the European Central Bank last month forecast would mean 0.5-0.9% economic growth this year compared to just over 1% in a trade tension-free environment. But this is nonetheless a landing point that would have been scarcely imaginable only months ago in the pre-Trump 2.0 era, when the EU along with much of the world could count on U.S. tariffs averaging out at around 1.5%. Even when Britain agreed a baseline tariff of 10% with the United States back in May, EU officials were adamant they could do better and - convinced the bloc had the economic heft to square up to Trump - pushed for a "zero-for-zero" tariff pact. It took a few weeks of fruitless talks with their U.S. counterparts for the Europeans to accept that 10% was the best they could get and a few weeks more to take the same 15% baseline which the United States agreed with Japan last week. "The EU does not have more leverage than the U.S., and the Trump administration is not rushing things," said one senior official in a European capital who was being briefed on last week's negotiations as they closed in around the 15% level. That official and others pointed to the pressure from Europe's export-oriented businesses to clinch a deal and so ease the levels of uncertainty starting to hit businesses from Finland's Nokia to Swedish steelmaker SSAB . "We were dealt a bad hand. This deal is the best possible play under the circumstances," said one EU diplomat. "Recent months have clearly shown how damaging uncertainty in global trade is for European businesses." NOW WHAT? That imbalance - or what the trade negotiators have been calling "asymmetry" - is manifest in the final deal. Not only is it expected that the EU will now call off any retaliation and remain open to U.S. goods on existing terms, but it has also pledged $600 billion of investment in the United States. The time-frame for that remains undefined, as do other details of the accord for now. As talks unfolded, it became clear that the EU came to the conclusion it had more to lose from all-out confrontation. The retaliatory measures it threatened totalled some 93 billion euros - less than half its U.S. goods trade surplus of nearly 200 billion euros. True, a growing number of EU capitals were also ready to envisage wide-ranging anti-coercion measures that would have allowed the bloc to target the services trade in which the United States had a surplus of some $75 billion last year. But even then, there was no clear majority for targeting the U.S. digital services which European citizens enjoy and for which there are scant homegrown alternatives - from Netflix to Uber to Microsoft cloud services. It remains to be seen whether this will encourage European leaders to accelerate the economic reforms and diversification of trading allies to which they have long paid lip service but which have been held back by national divisions. Describing the deal as a painful compromise that was an "existential threat" for many of its members, Germany's BGA wholesale and export association said it was time for Europe to reduce its reliance on its biggest trading partner. "Let's look on the past months as a wake-up call," said BGA President Dirk Jandura. "Europe must now prepare itself strategically for the future - we need new trade deals with the biggest industrial powers of the world." (Additional reporting by Jan Strupczewski in Brussels; Christian Kraemer and Maria Martinez in Berlin; Writing by Mark John; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
Middle East Eye
9 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Negotiations with Israel pointless while Gaza faces famine and genocide, says Hamas
Hamas's top official in Gaza said on Sunday there is no longer any justification to continue negotiations with Israel while the genocide against Gaza continues and civilians are deprived of basic needs, accusing Israel of withdrawing from talks to stall and intensify the war. Khalil al-Hayya, deputy head of Hamas's political bureau in Gaza, delivered the remarks in a video statement days after Israel pulled its negotiating team out of Doha for what it called 'further consultations', despite Hamas issuing what it described as a constructive response to the latest ceasefire framework. 'There is no point in continuing negotiations under the siege, genocide, and starvation of our children and women in the Gaza Strip,' al Hayya said. He added that 'the immediate and dignified entry of food and medicine to our people is a serious expression of the feasibility of continuing the negotiations.' Al Hayya said Hamas had shown 'all possible flexibility that did not conflict with the principles of our people' throughout the indirect talks. He said that 'clear progress' had been made during the last round of negotiations and that Hamas had accepted key elements proposed by mediators. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters 'In the last round of negotiations, we agreed with what the mediators offered us regarding the withdrawal, prisoners, and aid,' he said. But he expressed shock at Israel's sudden departure from the talks, 'we were surprised by the occupation's withdrawal from the negotiations and its alignment with US envoy Steve Witkoff,' he added. 'The occupation's withdrawal from the negotiations round is a transparent step aimed at wasting time and causing more genocide,' al-Hayya added. Over 100,000 children in Gaza at risk of death due to Israeli blockade Read More » He said Hamas had responded to the mediators at every stage and reiterated that the Palestinian resistance had 'used all its tools and relationships over the course of 22 months to stop the aggression against the people of Gaza.' His remarks come amid growing international outrage over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, where aid agencies say famine-like conditions have taken hold in several areas. More than 100 humanitarian organisations warned on Wednesday that "mass famine" has been spreading across the Gaza Strip since Israel blocked humanitarian aid from entering in early March and began providing inadequate aid through the controversial GHF at the end of May. The Israeli and US-backed initiative has allowed an insufficient amount of relief supplies, while carrying out attacks against civilians seeking aid at the GHF sites. At least 127 Palestinians, including more than 85 children, have died of starvation since Israel's blockade resumed in March, according to the Palestinian health ministry. More than 1,121 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid at distribution sites operated by the GHF, manned by Israeli soldiers and US security contractors.
Gulf Today
11 hours ago
- Gulf Today
UAE to resume Gaza aid airdrops immediately, says Sheikh Abdullah
Gulf Today, Staff Reporter The United Arab Emirates will resume aid drops over Gaza at once, its foreign minister said on Saturday, citing the "critical" humanitarian situation in the blockaded territory, where aid groups have warned of mass starvation. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, 'The humanitarian situation in Gaza has reached a critical and unprecedented level. In a post today on his account on the social media platform "X," Sheikh Abdullah said: "We will continue delivering relief support to those most in need - by land, air, and sea," reaffirming the immediate resumption of airdrop operations for humanitarian aid. Sheikh Abdullah stressed that the UAE's commitment to alleviating suffering and supporting the Palestinian people is resolute and unwavering. The United Arab Emirates remains at the forefront of efforts to deliver life-saving assistance to the Palestinian people. We will ensure essential aid reaches those most in need, whether through land, air or sea. These remarks come as the UAE continues, through various humanitarian initiatives, to send urgent relief and medical aid to the Gaza Strip in an effort to alleviate the humanitarian crisis faced by its residents. The UAE is among the leading nations that responded quickly at the outset of the crisis by establishing both air and sea bridges to aid those affected. This includes the launch of the "Birds of Goodness" operation, during which dozens of airdrops of food and relief supplies have been conducted over the Strip.
