Italy’s foreign ministry added that the meeting will involve the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decisions and their ‘possible effects on the current crisis in Lebanon and Gaza’.
Qatar is scheduled to participate in a session with Middle Eastern countries on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers meeting on Monday in Italy.
In a statement on Sunday, Italy’s foreign ministry announced the upcoming two-day talks, noting that the agenda will center on developments in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon as well as the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken will attend the meetings in Italy alongside other ministers from the G7, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France and Japan.
One session will be convened with ministers from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates. The secretary general of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, will also be present.
“As the Italian G7 Presidency, we are committed to peace in the Middle East. We have asked regional partners to be present to foster dialogue with G7 members. Only together can we find concrete solutions that bring peace and stability to the region,” Antonio Tajani, Italy’s foreign minister said in a statement.
The first session on Monday will take place at the historic Palazzo della Ragione, with discussions set to focus on the developments in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, where Israel has been carrying out a brutal aggression for more than a year.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed at least 44,211 people in the Gaza Strip, although the Palestinian health ministry’s figure is believed to be an undercount with thousands more still missing or trapped under the rubble.
In Lebanon, Israel has killed at least 3,754 since October 8, 2023, according to the latest figures by Lebanese health authorities.
The agenda of the meetings in Italy will also involve the Red Sea escalations that have been heightened since the beginning of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip.
Italy’s foreign ministry added that the meeting will involve the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decisions and their “possible effects on the current crisis in Lebanon and Gaza”.
This would come four days after the Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes.
Commenting on the decision at the time, Tajani said Rome would consider with its allies ways to interpret the decision.
“We support the ICC[…]the court must play a legal role and not a political role,” he said.
The second day of the talks on Tuesday will shift the focus towards the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, which has continued since February 2022. Ukrainian foreign minister Andriy Sybiha will be in attendance.
The U.S. has been increasing its military backing of Ukraine throughout the war. Last week, Washington announced an additional “significant package” of weapons to Ukraine worth $275m.
“We will continue to provide Ukraine the support it needs to succeed on the battlefield and prevail in its defense against Russia’s aggression,” Blinken said on November 20.
