President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday held a phone call with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The call focused on bilateral relations and Israeli attacks on Palestinians.

During the call, Erdoğan expressed his hope that Italy would join Spain, Norway and Ireland and recognize the State of Palestine, Turkish sources said. He also highlighted the need to increase pressure on the Israeli administration to comply with international law and stop its violent attacks against Palestine. He stated that Türkiye’s priorities on the issue were immediate and lasting ceasefire, release of prisoners and uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Ankara has been a staunch defender of the Palestinian cause and a virulent critic of Israel since the start of its war on Gaza, which has so far killed over 36,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, in retaliation to Hamas’ cross-border attack on Israel on Oct. 7. It has accused Israel of carrying out war crimes and genocide in Gaza and its Western allies of "being complicit" in them.

While more than 140 countries have recognized a Palestinian state – more than two-thirds of the United Nations – none of the major Western powers have done so.

Still, the adherence of three European countries to the group represents a victory for Palestinian efforts in the world of public opinion, and will likely put pressure on EU heavyweights France and Germany to rethink their position.