Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said she is not opposed to recognising a Palestinian state, on two conditions: that Hamas free all hostages and that it be excluded from government, AFP reports.

Italy has not joined recent moves by Britain, France and other European nations to recognise a Palestinian state.But the far-right prime minister said she was open to recognition, in a break with US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I’m not opposed to recognising Palestine, but we need to establish our priorities,” Meloni told journalists in New York, where she is due to address the United Nations General Assembly.

She said her ruling coalition would introduce a motion in parliament setting two conditions for recognising a Palestinian state: “freeing the hostages and, of course, the exclusion of Hamas from all government processes in Palestine”.

But she added: “Personally, I continue to believe recognition for Palestine in the absence of a state with the attributes of sovereignty doesn’t resolve the problem or produce tangible results for the Palestinians.”