Need to establish Palestine before recognising: Meloni

Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Saturday said that recognising the State of Palestine before it is established could be counterproductive.

“I am very much in favour of the State of Palestine but I am not in favour of recognising it prior to establishing it,” Meloni told an Italian daily.

“If something that doesn’t exist is recognised on paper, the problem could appear to be solved when it isn’t,” Meloni added.

On Friday, Italy’s foreign minister said recognition of a Palestinian state must occur simultaneously with recognition of Israel by the new Palestinian entity.

Gaza aid airdrops floated

Israel said it is allowing airdrops. A Jordanian official said the airdrops will mainly be food and milk formula. Britain plans to work with Jordan to airdrop aid and evacuate children requiring medical assistance. But the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees warned on that airdrops are “expensive and inefficient”.