Meloni responds to calls from Schlein as Global Sumud Flotilla sets sail for Gaza with four Italian politicians on board.
Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni has said the government would guarantee measures to protect Italian citizens on board a flotilla with food and humanitarian aid bound for Gaza.
Meloni was responding to a letter sent by the leader of the opposition centre-left Partito Democratico (PD) party, Elly Schlein, who asked the premier how the government intended to ensure the safety of participants travelling with the Global Sumud Flotilla.
Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has pledged to stop the flotilla from reaching the Gaza Strip, saying he wants to designate all those on board as “terrorists” and arrest them.
The prime minister emphasised to Schlein that it would be preferable to continue humanitarian support initiatives in Gaza through “already existing humanitarian channels,” as this would “avoid exposing Global Sumud Flotilla participants to the risks of travelling to a crisis zone and the resulting burden on the various state authorities involved to ensure protection and security.”
“To facilitate the successful delivery of basic necessities to the Palestinian population, given the limited amount of aid that can be transported on the vessels involved, we suggest using alternative and more effective delivery channels”, Meloni wrote, citing as an example the government’s Food for Gaza initiative “which has distributed more than 200 tons of basic necessities, food and medical aid, even reaching the most isolated and difficult-to-reach areas of the Strip.”
However, recognising that the flotilla “may also have a symbolic or political purpose, and therefore intends to continue regardless of the above”, Meloni said the Italian government guaranteed “that all measures will be taken to protect and secure Italian nationals abroad in similar situations”.
In her letter, Schlein had reminded Meloni that the “grassroots, nonviolent, and peaceful humanitarian mission which will be carried out in compliance with international law, includes the participation of 44 delegations from around the world, thousands of activists, including many Italian citizens, as well as four members of parliament of the Italian Republic from various political parties.”
The four Italian opposition politicians are MEP Benedetta Scuderi (Green-Left Alliance), MP Arturo Scotto and MEP Annalisa Corrado (PD), and senator Marco Croatti of the Movimento 5 Stelle.
Maria Elena Delia, the spokesperson for the Italian delegation of of the Global Movement to Gaza, told a news conference on Wednesday that the Italian vessels taking part in the flotilla will set off from Sicily on Sunday, instead of on Thursday as planned, because bad weather had delayed the journey of the boats from Barcelona.
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