“You are welcome in Italy and in Rome, and it is of great interest to me to be able to speak with you this morning”. He is the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella to welcome us to the Quirinale Mahmoud Abbas President of the Palestinian National Authority, on an official visit.
Mattarella then extends his welcome to the guest “with real pleasure”, recalling both the meeting three years ago again at the Quirinale, and “with great pleasure – he notes – his welcome when, in 2016, with great friendship, we we are seen in Bethlehem.”Present at the meeting was the Vice President of the Council of Ministers – Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani.
“We feel friendship and warmth, and we appreciate Italy’s real support for the Palestinian people,” said the president of the Palestinian National Authority in the conversation at the Quirinale. And he added: “What happened on October 7 is inhumane and unacceptable. We are not for violence and we asked Hamas to release the hostages.” “Once the two-state, two-people solution is in place, I will ask Arab and Muslim countries to recognize the state of Israel,” Abu Mazen said.
On the situation in Syria, awaiting developments and in the hope that the hopes of freedom will not be dashed by the new course, the President of the Republic and the President of the Palestinian National Authority Abu Maze expressed their opinion common opinion on the Assad regime“totalitarian and cruel”. The Head of State welcomed the President of the Palestinian Authority, recalling the meeting in Bethlehem in 2016.
The Palestinian statement
Abbas (Abu Mazen) asked the President of the Republic that Italy recognize the State of Palestine. Abbas and Mattarella – writes the Wafa agency – discussed the latest developments in the Palestinian question “in light of the current Israeli aggression. During the meeting, President Abbas informed his Italian counterpart on the latest developments in Palestine, focusing on the serious humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, a consequence of the ongoing brutal Israeli aggression, which has caused tens of thousands of victims and missing people and the widespread destruction of infrastructure, homes and property West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the crimes continuously committed by Israeli settlers against the defenseless Palestinian people. The President also informed his Italian counterpart on the continuous killings perpetrated by the occupation, on the incursions into cities, towns, villages and villages. Palestinian refugee camps, on colonial expansion and on the desecration of sacred places, particularly in occupied Jerusalem. President Abbas underlined the urgent need to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 2735, calling for an immediate ceasefire, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and rapid humanitarian assistance to avert the risk of a major catastrophe humanitarian in the Strip. He also called for allowing the Palestinian National Authority to resume its full responsibilities in Gaza.”
“The Palestinian President provided an update on Palestine’s diplomatic, political and legal efforts in international fora to end the Israeli occupation and establish a Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital. He reiterated the importance of adhering to the resolution United Nations General Assembly regarding the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion to End the Occupation Furthermore, President Abbas stressed the importance of mobilizing support for Palestine’s bid to become a full member of the UN and. to guarantee further international recognition of the Palestinian State”, we read again in the Wafa dispatch, “the President invited Italy to officially recognize the State of Palestine. The two leaders also discussed the strong bilateral ties between Italy and Palestine. President Abbas praised Italy’s continued humanitarian support, including taking in injured Palestinian children, training the police force and continuing support for Palestinian rights in international forums. He also recognized Italy’s recent positive vote at the United Nations General Assembly on resolutions related to UNRWA and the ceasefire.”