ITALIAN P.M. REJECTS PALI RIGHT OF RETURN

WELL, THAT SHOULD SETTLE IT.

Italian Prime Minister Rejects 'Right of Return' for Palestinians (NYSUN)
"Israel needs a guarantee it will be able to maintain its character as a Jewish state, Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi has said in a statement pregnant with diplomatic significance since it implies acceptance of Israel's rejection of Palestinian demands for a 'right of return' for refugees and their descendants," the Jerusalem Post reports.

Prodi made the comments at a private meeting in Rome on Saturday, The Jerusalem Post has learned. The statement faintly echoed US President George W. Bush's commitment in his April 2004 letter to then-prime minister Ariel Sharon prior to disengagement. Then, Bush wrote that the United States "is strongly committed to Israel's security and well-being as a Jewish state."

Not that what Prodi says matters to Israel, but it's good to see him on the right side of an issue for once.