Recognizing a Palestinian state is not merely symbolic but a concrete step toward peace and stability, Palestinian Deputy Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin said on Monday after talks in Rome with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
Antonio Tajani © X
Recognizing a Palestinian state is not merely symbolic but a concrete step toward peace and stability, Palestinian Deputy Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin said on Monday after talks in Rome with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
“We discussed the recognition of the State of Palestine, and I clearly stated that such recognition is not symbolic. Recognition of the Palestinian state gives us a perspective for the future,” Shahin told reporters.
She stressed that recognition helps preserve the long-eroded two-state solution and “sends a clear message: the only solution is to recognize a Palestinian state living in peace and security alongside the State of Israel.”
Italy Cautious on Recognition
Italy, however, has reiterated that recognition cannot precede the creation of a Palestinian state.
“As long as there is no state, it is difficult to recognize it officially,” Tajani said. “We recognize the Palestinian Authority, which we welcomed with a true sense of friendship. Before recognizing a state, it must be created—otherwise it becomes wishful thinking and produces no effect. We are working for concrete results.”
The debate comes weeks after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would recognize the State of Palestine at the upcoming UN General Assembly, scheduled for September 9–23 in New York.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that the military would never fully withdraw from the Gaza Strip for security reasons and that a civilian-military army unit would be established in the Palestinian enclave.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, met on Monday with Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi, FM of Oman, to review bilateral relations and discuss regional and international developments.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday he called Israeli President Isaac Herzog and invited him to visit Australia, expressing his shock and dismay over the attack at the Jewish community Chanukah event on Bondi Beach last week.
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