Netanyahu to ask Italy to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will ask his Italian counterpart to recognise Jerusalem as the Jewish state’s capital during his three-day visit to Rome this weekend.

“I believe the time has come for Rome to recognize Jerusalem as the ancestral capital of the Jewish people for three thousand years, as the United States did with a gesture of great friendship,” Netanyahu said in an interview with Italy’s la Repubblica published ahead of his departure on March 9, JNS [Jewish News Syndicate] reports.

The Trump administration recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December 2017 and moved its embassy to the holy city the following May.

Netanyahu also expressed a desire to expand economic relations with Italy, saying that he sees the country as a destination for energy exports.

“And then there is natural gas: We have a lot of it and I would like to discuss how to get it to Italy to support your economic growth,” he said.

Italy committed to replacing energy imports from Russia following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Last month, British-Greek hydrocarbon exploration and production company Energean announced that Israel had shipped its first crude oil abroad.

“We are happy and proud that Energean has facilitated Israel joining the club of international oil exporters,” said Energean CEO Mathios Rigas.

The company began extracting hydrocarbons from the Karish gas field off the northern Israeli coast on October 26, 2022, a day before Israeli and Lebanese leaders signed a United States-mediated maritime border agreement.

Before taking off, Netanyahu was slated to meet with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at Ben-Gurion Airport.

The premier was scheduled to depart at 2 pm, and upon arrival this evening meet with members of the Jewish community at the Jewish Museum of Rome.

On March 10, Netanyahu will hold talks with Italian business leaders at the Economy Ministry, then have a 45-minute meeting with his Italian counterpart Georgia Meloni at the Chigi Palace, her official residence.