ROME, November 7, 2025 (WAFA) – President Mahmoud Abbas met today in Rome with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The President arrived at the Italian Prime Minister’s office, where he was received by Prime Minister Meloni and several senior Italian officials and inspected a guard of honor assembled to welcome him.
During the meeting, they discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries, along with a number of issues of mutual interest.
President Abbas expressed his gratitude to the Prime Minister for Italy’s significant role in providing humanitarian aid, hosting injured children for treatment, training Palestinian police forces, participating in the European monitoring team at the Rafah crossing, and fostering security cooperation between the Palestinian and Italian authorities.
The President reviewed the latest developments in the Palestinian arena, as well as ongoing efforts to uphold the Gaza ceasefire, provide humanitarian aid to the Strip, release hostages and detainees, complete the Israeli withdrawal, enable the State of Palestine to assume its responsibilities there, and commence reconstruction, while emphasizing the need to prevent displacement and annexation.
The President also briefed the Italian Prime Minister on the Israeli escalation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, detailing ongoing colonial settlement expansion, colonists’ attacks on unarmed Palestinian civilians, the uprooting of olive trees, and assaults on Christian and Islamic holy sites.
President Abbas also addressed the severe economic and financial challenges facing the State of Palestine, resulting from Israel’s continued withholding of Palestinian tax revenues, which has stifled the Palestinian economy and weakened state institutions.
President Abbas reaffirmed his full commitment to all reforms undertaken by the State of Palestine to build a non-armed democratic Palestinian state, hold elections within one year after the end of the war, adopt a temporary constitution and laws on political parties and elections, promote a culture of peace, and collect all weapons from armed factions, including Hamas, which will have no role in governing the Gaza Strip, thereby upholding the principle of one state, one law, and legitimate arms.
He renewed Palestine’s request for Italy to recognize the State of Palestine to protect the two-state solution, which is being systematically undermined by Israeli policies, achieve peace based on international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative, and ensure Palestine’s independence along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, living in security and peace alongside Israel.
The President reiterated his call for Italy to continue playing a key role in enhancing security, supporting Gaza’s reconstruction, and coordinating with all relevant parties to achieve a lasting peace.
The president was accompanied by Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Head of the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs Ramzi Khoury; Ziad Abu Amr, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO); Presidential Advisor for Diplomatic Affairs Majdi Al-Khalidi; and Palestine’s Ambassador to Italy Muna Abu Amara.
T.R.
