BICOM

Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi told the Knesset yesterday that he will tell the Palestinians to recognise the reality of Israel as a Jewish nation state.

Renzi was visiting Israel before travelling to Ramallah today to meet the Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas. At a special session of the Knesset plenum, Renzi said, “Peace means that the Palestinians will have their nation-state and the Jews will have their nation-state.” He said that it is a point he will emphasise in Ramallah, with the PA until now having refused to accept Israel’s identity as a Jewish state. Renzi added, “Recognising Israel means recognising reality … The existence of the State of Israel is not a gesture of the international community after the Holocaust, but a fact that predates any international agreement by hundreds of years.”

Renzi also addressed last week’s nuclear deal with Iran, saying, “We can argue and may not agree about the compromise on the Iranian matter, but we will never compromise when it comes to the future of Israel. Your security is our security.” He said that Israel and Italy stand together against terror and violent extremism, commenting, “I have no doubt which side you are on. We will not stop fighting, together with you, on the right side, together with the US and the UN and Russia and Arab states like Egypt and Jordan, led by great statesmen who want to bring us to peace and stability.”

In addition, Renzi also took aim at those who call to boycott Israeli products, saying they “are betraying their own future.” He explained from the Knesset rostrum, “We will always be at the forefront of European and international forums against all forms of sterile and stupid boycotts.”

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Renzi and said, “You are a true friend of Israel, for truth and peace and against boycotts. We have always seen Italy as an important and central ally in the Middle East.”