ROME
The Group of Seven (G-7) nations support the creation of a Palestinian state, Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Saturday, underlining that the process for this must begin with the suspension of the fighting in Gaza.
“The G-7 document talks about the will to reach the objective of two people, two states, through an interruption of the conflict now, which will allow the unconditional liberation of the Israeli hostages and help the Palestinian civilian population who needs humanitarian aid,” Tajani told reporters after a meeting with his counterparts in the G-7 at the Munich Security Conference in Germany.
“Then, negotiations would start that I hope will lead to peace,” he said.
More than 28,000 Palestinians have been killed so far in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, with UN agencies warning that a planned ground offensive in the southern city of Rafah, near the border with Egypt, would have even more disastrous consequences for civilians.
Some 1.5 million Palestinians previously displaced by Israel’s offensive on Gaza are holed up in Rafah, seeking refuge from hostilities that have laid waste to vast swathes of the Palestinian territory.
Tajani said foreign ministers of the G-7 condemned Palestinian group Hamas and ruled out any political role for it in Gaza after the war, calling it a “terrorist organization.”
The Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank, on the other hand, has the support of the seven-nation group, he said, but adding that the body had to be renovated for it be a “protagonist” in Gaza.
“Our position aims at guaranteeing the security of the state of Israel, we ask for the immediate liberation of hostages and work for a de-escalation to help civilians in Gaza,” Tajani said.
He also added that the ministers condemn acts of violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, which have been on the rise since Oct. 7.
The UN and most of the international community consider settlements to be not just illegal, but also that they undermine efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with a two-state solution.
The US, UK and France have introduced sanctions against settlers accused of committing acts of violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and called for the Israeli government to do more to stop such aggression.
Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack. The ensuing Israeli attack has killed at least 28,858, injured more than 68,677 others, and caused mass destruction and shortages of necessities.
Less than 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.
