Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu on
Tuesday phoned Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano to thank Italy
for voting against a UNESCO resolution tabled by Arab countries
contesting Israeli sovereignty over part of Jerusalem, the
foreign ministry said.
The ministry's statement quoted Alfano as saying "Just before
the vote I announced to the Prime Minister the decision taken by
the Italian Government to vote against the UNESCO resolution on
Jerusalem, because it was highly politicized, and I expressed
the hope that other EU countries would go in the same direction.
"I also told Netanyahu that this decision was made in the
light of the excellent bilateral relations existing between
Italy and Israel.
"Netanyahu thanked Italy for its choice, which represented an
example for the other countries and congratulated Italy for its
leading role".
The resolution passed by 22 votes to 10 with 23 abstentions.
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