The Italian Parliament is preparing to discuss the recognition of the State of Palestine with a series of motions which will be presented, perhaps as early as this week, in the House.Promoters of the motions are the Left Ecology Freedom party, the Italian Socialist Party and the Democratic Party, according to the Palestinian News Network.
A first meeting occurred yesterday, during which it was shown the text developed by the responsible for the party’s foreign affairs, Enzo Amendola, to accelerate the explicit recognition of the State of Palestine. Even the New Centre-Right party of Minister of Interior, Angelino Alfano, presented his motion.
The chairman of the Foreign Affairs commission, Fabrizio Cicchitto, explains that the text of the New Centre-Right, unlike that of the Democratic Party (that will match the motion approved by the European Parliament) “will provide for the recognition of the principle of ‘two peoples, two states’ but as part of a policy option: the respect of negotiations between the parties, so as to favor the agreements between Israel and the Palestinians. The unilateral recognition, however, would be a mistake’.
According to Italian left-wing representive, Nichi Vendola, ‘the Italian government must recognize the State of Palestine so that negotiations towards the solution two peoples, two states can start’.
A Five Star Movement representative added: “What counts now, it is only to give back to the Palestinians their rights.’
The right-wing Italian North-League party strongly disagrees.
The two motions of the left-wing were presented yesterday, at a press conference in the House, in the presence of petitioners, the leaders of the Parties, former Vice President of the European Parliament Luisa Morgantini and a former ambassador and Israeli negotiator, Ilan Baruch , arrived in Italy, as he himself explained, ‘to talk to MPs and Italians through the media, to gain attention and support for a motion that commits Italy, hopefully unconditionally, to the recognition of the State of Palestine.”
The motion of recognition of Palestine by the Italian parliament comes late compared to the pronouncements of other similar meetings, such as in Spain, the UK, Sweden. The vote is still particularly important for the Mediterranean country and for Europe.
What the Italian Parliament is now discussing to take is a decision derived from November of 2012, when Italy expressed itself to be in favor of the recognition of Palestine as a nonmember observer state, in the General Assembly of the UN.
It is, therefore, a consequential act compared with other European parliaments. Italian Minister Scotto said: “This is why I hope that in the moment of voting there will not be parliamentary divisions and that a joint motion will be approved with the widest possible consensus: we go in the same direction and have the same goal which is to reopen peace negotiations.’
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION: TEXT
Many European countries have not yet recognized the State of Palestine, nor did the United States – historical ally of Israel. But the UN General Assembly approved a de facto recognition in 2012. There are 135 countries in the world that have made official recognition – including some countries of Eastern Europe, before joining the EU, and Sweden, with a vote that made history last October. The Swedish Government has announced the opening of Palestinian embassy in Stockholm. In most countries, Palestine has a diplomatic mission but not an embassy. In many EU countries – including the UK, France and Spain – have passed parliamentary votes not binding on governments, but that still provoked protests from Israel. Last December, a group of 800 Israeli personalities, including writers Oz, Yehoshua and Grossman, have sent an appeal to the European parliaments supporting the recognition of the State of Palestine by the EU governments.
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