Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas used a three-day visit to Italy and the Vatican to assure European counterparts that the Palestinian Authority will implement long-promised political reforms as it eyes a key role in postwar governance of the Gaza Strip.
What happened: Abbas met Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome on Friday, receiving a red carpet welcome at her office. They discussed strengthening relations between the PA and Italy as well as the Gaza ceasefire deal and Israeli settler attacks in the occupied West Bank. Abbas described the PA's "difficult" financial situation, pointing to Israel's withholding of tax revenue, and "renewed" his request that Italy recognize a Palestinian state, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.
Israeli settlers regularly attack Palestinians in the West Bank and local church leaders have accused them of attacking Christian sites. Vatican News reported in June that Jewish settlers "set fires near the Byzantine Christian cemetery and at the Church of Al-Khader," noting the church, also known as St. George, is "one of the oldest and most venerated places of worship for Christians in Palestine."
Abbas also briefed Italian President Sergio Mattarella on the latest developments in Gaza and the West Bank and affirmed his commitment to reforms and “strengthening a democratic, unarmed Palestinian state” through “holding elections within one year after the end of the war, issuing a temporary constitution and enacting laws regulating political parties and elections,” per WAFA.
Abbas’ remarks come as he faces renewed international pressure to overhaul the PA's governance, particularly in the wake of a US-backed ceasefire deal that came into effect in early October 2025. The US’ 20-point plan for Gaza says that once the enclave's reconstruction progresses and the PA reforms are carried out, “conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood,” but makes no further guarantees.
The plan does not lay out specific reforms for the PA, but does reference reforms outlined in other proposals, including holding elections, which it has not done since 2006.
Abbas arrived in Rome on Wednesday and met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Thursday.
The Palestinian leader was accompanied by senior officials including Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee members Ziad Abu Amr and Ramzi Khoury, Presidential Adviser for Diplomatic Affairs Majdi Al-Khalidi and the Palestinian ambassadors to the Holy See and Italy.
Why it matters: Meloni’s right-wing Italian government has been walking a tightrope through the conflict in Gaza, attempting to uphold its robust ties with Israel while responding to mounting domestic concerns over the humanitarian catastrophe in the Strip. At the same time, Meloni has sought to cultivate strong ties with the Trump administration, which has been strongly supportive of Israel's military campaign in Gaza.
As the war in Gaza dragged on, Meloni showed increasing willingness to break with the Netanyahu government in Israel. In May, she said that civilian casualties and the humanitarian situation in Gaza were “ever more dramatic and unjustifiable.” At a political conference in August, she said Israel's response to Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack "has gone beyond the principle of proportionality" and called out Israel's killing of journalists in Gaza.
Rome officially suspended new arms export approvals to Israel in October 2024, though it has continued to ship weapons to Israel as part of contracts signed before the war. Italy accounted for 1% of Israel’s major arms imports from 2020 to 2024, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Italy has increasingly aligned with EU partners in calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and respect for international law in Gaza as well as renewed funding for Palestinian aid efforts, including roughly $38 million package supporting UNRWA in May 2024 despite objections from the Israeli government, and backed EU sanctions aimed at countering Israeli settlement expansion.
However, Meloni has stopped short of joining Spain, Ireland and others in recognizing a Palestinian state. In July, she told Italian newspaper La Repubblica, "I am very much in favor of the State of Palestine but I am not in favor of recognizing it prior to establishing it.” She has also backed some EU measures that would impose sanctions against Israel over its conduct in Gaza.
Meloni found herself under mounting domestic pressure in early October to respond to Israeli military actions after more than 20 Italian activists were detained after sailing with the Global Sumud Flotilla, over 40 vessels that attempted to break Israel's siege of the Gaza Strip. Mass demonstrations across the country demonstrated support for the activists while dock workers from across Europe convened in Genoa, Italy, in late September in an attempt to block arms shipments to Israel.
Know more: During Abbas’ meeting with Pope Leo, they discussed the need to “end the conflict by pursuing a two-state solution,” according to the Holy See Press Office.
The day before meeting the pope, Abbas visited the Basilica of St. Mary Major and the tomb of Pope Francis, who died earlier this year.
Pope Francis was an outspoken critic of Israel’s campaign in Gaza. In late 2024, he called for an investigation into whether Israel's military actions in Gaza amounted to genocide. Throughout the conflict, he maintained near-daily contact with Reverend Gabriel Romanelli, the priest of Gaza’s only Catholic church.
