Italy's Meloni Says She Disagrees With Netanyahu On Formation Of Independent Palestine State

Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni said Wednesday she disagrees with her Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu who recently reiterated his opposition to the formation of an independent Palestine state.

"Italy has always supported a Palestinian state, which is why I do not share the position expressed by the Israeli prime minister on the matter," she told parliament.

But she asserted that independent Palestine should recognize Israel and its right to live in safety.

Netanyahu said last week that he told the US that he opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state as part of any postwar scenario.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Palestinian enclave following an Oct. 7 Hamas attack, killing at least 25,700 victims and injuring 63,740 others, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli war in response has left 85% of Gaza's population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while more than half of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.​​​​​​​ -