New leaders must be found for the Palestinian Authority, which will play a vital role in a future state incorporating Gaza and the West Bank, Italy said on Wednesday.
"The PA must play an important, leading role," Italy's foreign minister Antonio Tajani told the Adnkronos Forum.
"We must explore all possible avenues and see who could play a leadership role," Tajani said.
There there are "potential leaders" within PA president Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, Tajani claimed.
"We need to reach a solution that incorporates Gaza and the West Bank in a future, independent Palestinian state that must be recognised by Israel and which must also recognise Israel," he said.