At joint presser, Italian FM says he hopes hostage deal will lead to Mideast peace; Sa’ar less optimistic

Italy’s foreign minister says he hopes a possible ceasefire in Gaza will open a new phase and allow the restoration of peace in the Middle East.

“The agreement being finalized in these hours on the ceasefire and hostage release is very important news,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani tells a news conference, after a meeting with his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar.

He says an agreement would “hopefully open a new phase and allow peace to be restored throughout the Middle East.”

Sa’ar accuses the Palestinian Authority on Tuesday of encouraging terrorism and inciting violence against Israel, saying that its policies are standing in the way of achieving peace.

“For this, we must see a deep and real change among Palestinians. Unfortunately, we are not seeing it today,” he says.

Israelis will not compromise on security and will intervene if it sees a threat from Gaza in the future, Sa’ar says, as a ceasefire deal with Hamas appears close to approval.

“And if we see terrorism in the Gaza Strip at any point in the future, we will do the same thing we are doing in Judea and Samaria,” he says, referring to the West Bank by its biblical name.

However, Sa’ar says there is “true willingness” from Israel’s side in support of a Gaza truce deal.

“I believe that if we achieve this hostage deal, we will have a majority in this government that will support the agreement,” Sa’ar says.