The Italian government has no more excuses on Gaza: Meloni must act now, not when there are no more Palestinians.

How can we return the occupied territories? There is no one to return them to." (G. Meir)

"I believe that recognizing the State of Palestine, without there actually being a State of Palestine, could actually be counterproductive to the objective," Giorgia Meloni said in the aftermath of the French recognition. Oh dear! What a lofty thought. She adds: " If something that doesn't exist is recognized on paper, the problem risks appearing solved, when it isn't." Ah! The dilemma between seeming and being... And she explains: " While I'm very much in favor (sic!) of the State of Palestine, I'm not in favor of its recognition prior to a process for its constitution." Try blending the three statements: the result is a barroom "dialectic" of the faint-hearted.

Indeed, Israel has decided that "the Palestinian state must never exist" —and has even announced its intention to annex the West Bank —so there will be no " trial for its establishment" from Tel Aviv. A solution can only come about if Western governments, rather than supporting its crimes, persuade the Jewish state to comply with UN resolutions. Herein lies the importance of recognizing—now!—the Palestinian state, precisely so that, if it doesn't exist today, it can exist tomorrow. It's no coincidence that the two criminals, Netanyahu and Trump, reacted like tarantulas to France's decision. President Meloni, you cannot pretend not to understand that we must act now—now!—not when there are no more Palestinians, through extermination or deportation! I understand your ideological and political affinity with the man accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity—in whose government, as Haaretz wrote, "the ministers play at who is the most fascist." I also understand that you enjoy the company of your deputy prime ministers, Salvini, who was recently awarded a prize by Israel, and Tajani, who advocates for Palestinian recognition of the Jewish state, no less—tell him it's been happening since 1993!—but you can't get away with that blatantly cynical nonsense of yours.

There's no point in you calling Netanyahu without taking any concrete political initiative. While you procrastinate, the slaughter of Palestinians continues, and you don't even have the dignity to call our ambassador back for consultations, as a tiny gesture of condemnation of the crimes. The Italian government risks being last. A third of European countries already recognize the Palestinian state , and now, after France, even England has declared its support, followed by Malta, Canada, Australia, and Portugal. Even Germany is moving. Its Foreign Minister, Johann Wadephul, stated that recognition of the Palestinian state " is a process that must begin now" (emphasis added). Understand? President Mattarella has denounced Israel's "obstinacy in killing indiscriminately." Faced with the ignominies of Israeli theocracy and Tel Aviv's murderous autocracy, the Italian government no longer has any excuses. With the carnage unfolding in Gaza and the West Bank, all of humanity is facing something terrifying: the greatest moral, cultural, and political chasm of our time.

The nightmare that an extraordinary Jew like Primo Levi feared most has come true: a repetition of the tragedy he experienced in the concentration camp. With one radical difference: during the Nazi crematoria, our grandparents were able to somehow absolve themselves, saying: we were receiving vague news, so monstrous it seemed unbelievable, so we could do nothing. We, however, know precisely. We see it all every day (personally, I can hardly bear to watch the macabre television images anymore), thanks to the Palestinian journalists who are being sacrificed: a full 235 of them were murdered in targeted killings by... the "only democracy in the Middle East" (?!?). We have no excuses, none of us does. Therefore, it is crucial that each of us commit to intensifying the popular mobilization—which, as we can see, is beginning to have a strong influence on the chancelleries—so that local authorities and the government recognize the Palestinian state, the only way for Israel, too, to have security and tranquility. This is anything but a "counterproductive" choice! We must help Giorgia Meloni— look what I have to say—so that Italy can play its role in promoting peace in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. Let's try to prevent her from ending up like Ursula von der Leyen on tariffs: nothing, dressed up in itself.

FROM

Mario Capanna