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 Italy |  Palestine |
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Italy has yet to recognizePalestine as a sovereign state, partly due to a desire to await the outcome of the currently stalled negotiations, and partly because the majority ofEuropean Union countries do not recognize it either. Nevertheless, Italy firmly backs the creation of the State of Palestine in accordance with thetwo-state solution. It also helps to fundUNRWA, which assistsPalestinian refugees. Both nations are a part of theUnion for the Mediterranean.[1]
Italy has a consulate general inEast Jerusalem,[2] and the State of Palestine has an embassy inRome.[3]
The first contact between Italy and thePalestine Liberation Organization (PLO) began in the 1960s. TheItalian government was one of the first Western governments to establish relations with the PLO. Since then, Italy has been a strong supporter of the Palestinian people and their right toself-determination.[4] The relations between Italy and Palestine are based on economic, tourism, security, and education cooperation. For instance, Italy provides development assistance to thePalestinian Authority in order to help it build infrastructure and create jobs. In addition, Italy is a major tourist destination for Palestinians, and the two countries have worked together to improve security in the region. Finally, Italy has also provided scholarships for Palestinian students to study in Italian universities.[5]
In 2013,Italian Prime MinisterEnrico Letta visited the Palestinian territories as part of a larger tour of theMiddle East; Letta's visit was seen by analysts as an effort to promote peace in the region and to strengthen ties between Italy and the Palestinians.[6] However, others noted how theLetta cabinet also kept making efforts to consolidaterelations with Israel, while maintaining a cautious approach in various debates regarding theIsraeli–Palestinian conflict, in line with previous cabinets.[7]
On 27 February 2015, anon-binding motion supporting the recognition of a Palestinian State as soon as the latter democratized, presented by Prime MinisterMatteo Renzi and theDemocratic Party, was passed by theChamber of Deputies of theItalian Parliament, with 300 votes in favor and 45 against.[8][9] At the same time, the Chamber of Deputies approved another motion, presented byNew Centre-Right and other parties, with 237 votes in favor and 84 against;[9] it called for a "timely return to direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians",[8] in order to fulfill theOslo Agreement, and subordinated the recognition of Palestine as a state to "a political agreement betweenAl-Fatah andHamas [...] through the recognition of theState Of Israel and the abandonment of violence".[9] A third motion explicitly calling for the full and formal recognition of the Palestinian State, presented byLeft Ecology Freedom[8] and theFive Star Movement,[9] was rejected by the same house, with 56 votes in favor and 317 against.[9]
As of 2022, Italy donated a total amount of€14 million to theUNRWA, aUN agency that supportsPalestinian refugees, seven million of which were invested in the program's main services.[10] In June 2023, the Italian government supported the UNRWA with an additional €1 million-worth donation.[11] However, following theOctober 7 attacks the same year, the Italian government suspended its funding to the UNRWA; the decision was kept undisclosed until 27 January 2024, whenMinister of Foreign AffairsAntonio Tajani publicly confirmed it,[12] after several otherEU and international countries also decided to temporarily stop their funding over aseries of allegations made by Israel against the agency, including that a number of itsGaza Strip staff had been involved in the Hamas-led attack.[12][13] On 25 May 2024, following a meeting between Tajani andPalestinian Prime MinisterMohammad Mustafa at thePalazzo della Farnesina inRome, the former announced that Italy would restore its financial support to the UNRWA in a press statement,[10][14] albeit under the condition that "not even a penny risks ending up supporting terrorism".[15][16] According to Tajani, the Italian government approved a €35 million recovery package for the Palestinian population, five of which would be allocated to the UNRWA,[10][14] with the remaining €30 million being assigned to theFood for Gaza initiative,[15][16] in collaboration with theFAO, thePAM and theRed Crescent.[16]
On 27 October 2023, Italy abstained from voting on anUN General Assembly resolution calling for animmediate ceasefire in theGaza war,[17] before taking the same stance on asimilar resolution on 12 December of the same year.[18][19] However, on 25 January 2024, the Democratic Party and its secretary,Elly Schlein, presented a non-binding motion urging the government to "sustain every initiative aimed to call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire" in the war;[20][21] following the addition of severalamendments and two phone calls between Schlein and Prime MinisterGiorgia Meloni,[20] the resolution was approved by the Chamber of Deputies,[20][22][23] with MPs from the right-wing parties supporting theMeloni cabinet abstaining from voting.[20]
On 10 May 2024, Italy abstained from voting on anotherUN General Assembly resolution which upgraded Palestine's rights in theUnited Nations as anObserver State;[24][25] theItalian Permanent Representative to the United Nations,Maurizio Massari, explained the decision by stating that Italy "shared the goal of global and long-standing peace that could only be reached through atwo-state solution", but believed that the aforementioned agreement "should be reached via direct negotiations between the [two] sides".[25]
On 20 February 2025, a proposal by the5 Star Movement that promoted the recognition of the State of Palestine by Italy was rejected by theItalian senate with 80 votes against.[26]
In March 2025, Italy supported the Arab plans for a rebuilding of Gaza.[27][28]
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