Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, attended today, via videoconference, an extraordinary meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council entirely dedicated to the situation in Israel and the region.
Chaired by High Representative Josep Borrell, the 27 ministers discussed the latest developments surrounding the Hamas attack on Israel.
In his speech, the Deputy Prime Minister recalled that “Italy condemns the very serious and unjustified attack by Hamas against Israel, to which we offer our full solidarity and support”. He also stressed that “we are ready to give our full contribution to the international community’s efforts to foster a de-escalation between the parties and prevent a wider conflict”. Tajani then mentioned his upcoming visit to Cairo, where he will meet President Al-Sisi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt Shoukry and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Gheit.
During the meeting, there was a unanimous call for the release of hostages and an immediate end to terrorist attacks against the civilian population. The ministers also agreed on the urgency of relaunching the Middle East Peace Process. With regard to the EU’s financial assistance to Palestine, Tajani warned that, given the new circumstances, “there must be no misuse of such funds”. He finally remarked that “Italy is scrupulously evaluating the allocation of funds, monitoring the humanitarian situation in the territory”.
The meeting ended with an update, given by the Minister of Finland to his colleagues, on the attack on the submarine gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia that occurred on 8 October.
