President Abbas urges Italy to recognize the State of Palestine

JAKARTA - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged Italy to recognize the State of Palestine. Abbas said the move would help protect the two-state solution and strengthen the foundations of peace.

Abbas made the statement in a speech at the annual conference of the Brothers of Italy party in Rome.

Abbas stressed that the establishment of a Palestinian state of independence on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital is the only way to guarantee long-term security and stability in the region.

Abbas said a fully sovereign Palestinian state would not be a security burden on anyone, but would be a source of regional stability and a responsible partner in maintaining security and building peace.

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He said the Palestinian people aspire to live in their homeland with freedom and dignity, in a modern state that upholds democracy, peaceful alternation of power, pluralism, equality, and rejection of violence.

"Countries that recognize Palestine do so as a positive investment for the future of peace and stability," Abbas said, quoted by ANTARA from Anadolu, Saturday, December 13.

He also expressed hope that Italy would continue to move forward on this path in support of the two-state solution.

Amid Israel's brutal war that killed more than 70,000 people in Gaza, a number of countries recognized the Palestinian statehood in a UN meeting in September, bringing the total number of countries to 160 out of 193 UN member states.