London, United Kingdom – The Italian army and air force, in collaboration with the Jordanian military, delivered humanitarian aid to Gaza on Saturday to help alleviate the hunger crisis in the Palestinian territory.
The mission, dubbed “Solidarity Path Operation 2”, represents an escalation of Italian aid to the Gaza Strip.
Italian Minister for Parliamentary Relations Luca Ciriani told the country’s Chamber of Deputies on Thursday that the government is “preparing to receive 50 more Palestinians [civilians], including 20 children who will be treated [medically in Italy].”
The humanitarian intervention and promise to receive more Palestinian asylum seekers came after a late July phone conversation between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, in which Meloni told Netanyahu that the situation in Gaza was “unsustainable and unjustifiable”. Meloni also called on Netanyahu to end the war on Gaza immediately during their call.
Nevertheless, the Meloni government has failed to recognize a Palestinian state, unlike a flurry of traditional allies of Israel. In late July, France declared its intention to unilaterally recognise Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September.
Canada and the UK also declared their intention to recognise a Palestinian state at the same time, though their recognition of Palestine is subject to certain conditions.
Italy, however, has thus far made no such commitment. Prime Minister Meloni told Italian newspaper La Repubblica that recognition of a Palestinian state prior to its formal establishment could be “counterproductive”.
Italian aid to Gaza is prepared under the auspices of the Solidarity Path Operation 2 mission.
Image Source: Ministero Difesa via X
Meloni clarified that she agreed with the principle of Palestinian statehood and Palestine’s eventual recognition by Italy, but claimed that premature recognition could actually hinder the achievement of a two-state solution.
The Italian opposition, however, has for several months called upon the coalition of right-wing parties that currently govern Italy – Lega, Forza Italia and Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia – to formally recognise Palestine.
In April, the Italian opposition parties Partito Democratico, Movimento Cinque Stelle, Sinistra Italiana and Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra submitted a parliamentary motion to condemn Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip, halt all arms sales to Israel, call for an immediate ceasefire and recognise a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders.
Meloni, however, has remained steadfast in her opposition to a so-called hasty recognition of Palestinian statehood. She called the French decision to recognise the Middle Eastern state “rushed”.
The Italian Parliament in Rome is illuminated with the Israeli flag on October 7th, 2023 after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel of that same day
Image Source: UHN Plus via X
Italian Foreign Minister and leader of the Forza Italia party Antonio Tajani told the National Council of Forza Italia in Rome that “recognition of a Palestinian state must occur simultaneously with recognition of Israel by the new Palestinian entity.”
Diplomatic relations between Israel and Italy, formalised over 76 years ago, therefore appear relatively stable in spite of growing international pressure on Israel to stop its military operations in Gaza and both internal and external accusations of genocide levelled at the Israeli government and military.
Featured Image: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
Image Credit: Governo italiano via Wikimedia Commons
License: Creative Commons Licenses
