Amman, Oct. 20 (Petra) - Former Italian Prime Minister and leader of the opposition Five Star Movement Giuseppe Conte announced on Tuesday that his party will fundamentally reshape Italy's policy toward Israel and recognize the State of Palestine upon taking power.

Speaking at the "From the Occupation Economy to the Liberation Economy" conference in Rome, Conte declared that Italy "cannot be complicit in arbitrary and illegal occupations." He called for immediate Italian recognition of Palestinian statehood, joining over 160 countries worldwide, and demanded a complete end to Italy's military cooperation agreement with Israel.

Conte criticized current defense trade, pointing out that Italian arms imports from Israel in the first half of 2026 exceeded levels recorded during the same period in 2025. He stressed that Israel's "privileged" trade status within Europe must be revoked.

//Petra// HA