ROME (ITALPRESS) – “Israel has now won, ceasefire possible.” This is what Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani says in an interview with “Il Giornale.” The holder of the Foreign Ministry who will be in Israel today and then in Palestine has a “clear objective”. “to work forpeace and to reach a ceasefire in both Lebanon and Gaza. I will meet with President Isaac Herzog, Foreign Minister Israel Katz and in Ramallah with Palestinian Prime Minister Mustafa.” Tajani is convinced that Yahya Sinwar’s death could be a push toward peace: “There is a possibility that Israel, having won militarily, having hit the mastermind of the October 7 massacre and therefore the mastermind of Hamas, could feel fulfilled and look more willingly at the cease-fire in Gaza, getting in return freedom for the hostages who are still in the hands of the terrorists.”
“We insist on this with Israel and Lebanon, also aiming for a ceasefire in Lebanon. I believe that in order to reach an agreement, it is useful to also speed up the time frame for the election of the new Lebanese president, who must be a Maronite by the Lebanese constitution, and who can become a valid and authoritative interlocutor for Israel,” adds the deputy prime minister, who on the Unifil mission, adds, “it must be reinforced, we must work as of now on what we could call ‘Unifil 3.’ The rules of engagement must be changed to give more capacity to intervene, we will have to do it with the agreement of the parties. I believe that the solution to ensure stability must be to create a Unifil ‘cushion’ between the Israeli border up to the Litani River to the north. From the river, going up further north, the Lebanese regular army. Still further north the Hezbollah. This is to create a double buffer: Unifil, Lebanese army and then Hezbollah. This is also to give the Lebanese state power over its territory, and in this strengthening the role and capacity of the Lebanese armed forces is decisive.”
On the possibility that Sinwar could become a symbol, a martyr for a part of the Islamic world, he says, “They will attempt this operation but I believe that the one who organized the October 7 massacre cannot be considered a symbol by anyone.” On the role Arab countries can play in the Middle East, he concludes, “They are crucial because the Palestinians are obviously part of the Arab world. Countries like Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan can be elements of pacification in the area. That’s why I said that for the reunification of Palestine I think of an international mission led by Arab countries. After all, the October 7 attack why was there? Also because Hamas wanted to prevent the agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia. That was the political goal.”
photo: Photogram Agency
(ITALPRESS).
