Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who begins a visit to Italy on Thursday, said he wants to boost trade relations with the country by offering Israel to supply Italy with natural gas, Reuters and Agerpres reported.

“I would like to see more economic cooperation (between Israel and Italy). I think a closer relationship with your companies will be positive for both sides,” Netanyahu said in an interview with La Repubblica newspaper published on Thursday.

“And then there is the issue of 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,” the Israeli prime minister added.

In the same interview, he said that he would ask the head of the Italian government, Giorgia Meloni, that Rome recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

“I believe it is time for Rome to recognize Jerusalem as the ancestral capital of the Jewish people for 3,000 years, as the United States has done as a sign of great friendship,” Netanyahu said.

Italy has been trying to replace energy imports from Russia since its invasion of Ukraine last year. Before the war started by Vladimir Putin, Italy was one of the most dependent countries in Europe on Russian gas.

In June 2022, Israel and Egypt signed an agreement with the European Union aimed at increasing natural gas exports to Europe.

In November, Israel also signed a preliminary agreement with France’s TotalEnergies and Italy’s Eni, allowing them to begin natural gas exploration as part of a historic maritime border agreement with Lebanon.

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