Hotovely to Italian FM: French initiative bad for peace

Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely meets Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni and commends him for the “excellent ties between our countries.”

Hotovely refers to a French initiative to fast-track the establishment and recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN, and says: “Unilateral steps like this do not advance our goal but on the contrary, Israel sees the French initiative as an obstacle to any direct dialogue.”

Hotovely also urges Gentiloni to act against the labeling of products from the West Bank, saying that Israel “sees this as paving the way to sanctions against Israel. Acts like this will not promote the peace process and direct dialogue, they will only push it further away.”

After the meeting Hotovely and Gentiloni tour Yad Vashem, where the deputy minister expresses her appreciation of Italy’s commitment to teaching about the Holocaust in Italian schools.