Palestinian president, Italian premier discuss Gaza ceasefire, two-state solution

LONDON

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome, discussing Gaza ceasefire and two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

"During the course of our meeting, I reiterated the need to consolidate the ceasefire and to initiate the stabilization and reconstruction of Gaza," Meloni wrote on US social media company X after the meeting.

She pointed out the need for proceeding rapidly with the full implementation of US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan for Gaza, "including through the disarmament of Hamas, which can have no role in the future of the Palestinian people."

The Italian prime minister stressed her country's "strong and steadfast commitment" both to humanitarian assistance for the civilian population—through the "Food for Gaza" initiative, medical evacuations, and the “university corridor”—and to the training of police forces and the reform process of the Palestinian Authority.

"In reiterating the need to work toward a lasting political solution based on the two-state prospect, I confirmed that the Italian Government, also on the basis of the priorities indicated by the Palestinian Authority, is working on a package of humanitarian aid and reconstruction measures to be presented at the Gaza Conference that Egypt intends to convene," she said.

Abbas' meeting with Meloni came after he held talks with Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinale Palace.

"The Palestinian National Authority is an absolutely key interlocutor for Italy and the international community," Italian news agency ANSA quoted Mattarella as saying.

The Palestinian president also met for the first time Pope Leo at the Vatican on Thursday. The two discussed the urgent need for the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and to pursue the two-state solution.