In an interview with the newspaper Il Messaggero and published on the official website of the Italian Foreign Ministry, Tajani reaffirmed his strong condemnation of the Israeli military occupation of Gaza and stated that “this carnage cannot continue,” referring to the more than 60,000 Palestinians killed by Te Aviv’s bombings.

“If the high command of the army is hesitant, there is a reason,” he said, referring to questions from the Zionist military leadership about this action. He therefore considered that “this is not the way forward,” and emphasized that “the invasion of Gaza risks becoming a Vietnam for Israeli soldiers.” “Any attempt to annex part of the Strip or the West Bank undermines the foundations for building a Palestinian state,” and regarding Italy’s recognition of the state, he expressed his opinion that, for now, it would only be “a symbolic gesture,” as his government believes that today “it does not exist; it needs to be built.”

The path toward peace and a definitive solution to the dispute, in the opinion of the Italian foreign minister, is through “diplomacy and negotiations,” in which, in his opinion, “Hamas must remain outside any solution” and “the Palestinian National Authority must be accepted as the only possible interlocutor.”

“Now we need a United Nations mission led by Arab countries to reunify the Palestinian state,” and “Italy is ready to participate,” asserted the deputy prime minister.

Last Saturday, the Italian foreign minister signed a Joint Declaration with his counterparts from Australia, Germany, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, against Israel’s announced large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip.

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