(Adnkronos) – Italy continues to back a two-state solution to the long-running conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and to fully support civilians and efforts to rebuild the war-wrecked Gaza Strip, foreign undersecretary Maria Tripodi wrote Friday on X.
“On behalf of the deputy premier (and foreign minister) Antoni Tajani, I took part in the first Palestine Donor Group conference,” Tripodi wrote.
“Italy recognises the Two-State Solution, contributes to humanitarian assistance and the reconstruction process of the (Gaza) Strip, with 60 million euros already allocated,” the post added.
At the PDG meeting in Brussels on Thursday, Tripodi highlighted “the precarious state of the Palestinian Authority’s budget and the serious issues affecting its banking system,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
The PA’s severe fiscal and banking crisis “pose a tangible risk of financial collapse” Tripodi told the meeting, underlining “the urgent need for action to prevent such an outcome,” according to the statement.
Tripodi also held talks with PA premier Mohammad Mustafa, EU commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica, and Germany’s economic cooperation and development minister Reem Alabali Radovan on the sidelines of a PEGASE event, said the statement.
PEGASE channels donor funds to the PA with strict oversight and has provided it with 3.7 billion euros of financial support since the EU-administered mechanism began in 2008.
Italy, which has supported PEGASE since 2009, is currently weighing additional contributions including a budget support package, the statement said.
