CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES, XVII LEGISLATURE, 339th MEETING, 26 NOVEMBER 2014.

On 26 November 2014, during a question time taking place at the Chamber of Deputies, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Paolo Gentiloni Silveri, stated that:

[…] historically, the Italian Government has always backed, both in a formal and a substantial way, the steps that were taken towards the creation of a Palestinian State. In this moment, the Government is primarily engaged with the difficult – the objectively difficult – aim of re-establishing bilateral negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, especially in the light of the tensions that have arisen, particularly those in Jerusalem. It is indeed these last ones that concern us the most. We are therefore committed to encouraging the resumption of negotiations. We hope the United States will make the first move: Europe and also the Russian Federation would support such new negotiation move. In these circumstances, the recognition of a Palestinian State is an aim of crucial and strategic importance for the Government. It should be clear that we do not consider it as a merely symbolic act. The objective of recognition is therefore on the table, but we believe it should be brought forward when it appears to be more useful for the re-establishment of negotiations and for the goal we aim to achieve: not a symbolic recognition, but two States. The State of Israel, with recognition of its full safety, and a Palestinian State established according to the borders of June 1967. In this respect, we are totally open for the discussion and debate that I suppose will take place in the next few weeks in the Parliament.

The full Italian version of this statement can be found at: http://www.camera.it/leg17/410?idSeduta=0339&tipo=stenografico#sed0339.stenografico.tit00010.sub00010.int00020

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