ROME, December 13, 2025 (WAFA) – President Mahmoud Abbas of the State of Palestine met on Saturday at his residence in Rome with a group of Italian association leaders and representatives of the Palestinian and Islamic communities in Italy.

In separate meetings, President Abbas briefed the heads of Doctors for Gaza, the Italian Veterans Association, the National Italian Support Foundation, and the leaders of the Islamic and Palestinian communities in Rome on the overall developments in the Palestinian arena. 

He highlighted ongoing efforts to consolidate the ceasefire in Gaza and condemned unilateral Israeli measures in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, which undermine the implementation of the two-state solution.

The President reaffirmed the Palestinian position that a just and lasting peace must be achieved in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions, leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital along the 1967 borders.

He emphasized that the Palestinian people aspire to live in their homeland with freedom and dignity, in a modern state committed to democracy, peaceful transfer of power, pluralism, equality, and the rejection of violence. He noted that countries recognizing the State of Palestine do so as a positive investment in the future of peace and stability.

President Abbas also confirmed that parliamentary and presidential elections will be held within one year after the end of the war and the availability of appropriate conditions, stressing that the absence of an independent Palestinian state is not only a historical injustice to the Palestinian people but also a root cause of regional instability.

He briefed the head of the Palestinian community in Italy on the urgent need to continue mobilizing international support for the Palestinian cause and to present an accurate narrative of the Palestinian people’s struggle for freedom and independence.

The President praised the role of the Palestinian community in Italy in supporting the people of Palestine and emphasized its importance in shaping Italian public opinion in favor of the national cause.

President Abbas was accompanied by PLO Executive Committee member Ziad Abu Amr, Presidential Advisor for Diplomatic Affairs Majdi Khaldi, and Palestinian Ambassador to Italy Mona Abuamara.

M.N