«It is already planned that I go to Lebanon, and Minister Tajani is preparing to go to Israel and Palestine next week.” The prime minister said it Giorgia Meloni during the reply in the debate on communications in the Senate in view of the European Council, responding to IV senator Enrico Borghi. “Even with our presence – he added – we are doing everything that is possible.”
Then in her speech in the Senate in her communications in view of the European Council: «I want to share with you my concern about the escalation underway in Lebanon, because I am sincerely worried about how the scenario is evolving, despite our innumerable efforts and our allies. The position of the Italian Government is that we must work towards the full application of resolution 1701 by strengthening the capabilities of Unifil and the Lebanese armed forces.”
«We defend Israel’s right to live in peace and security, but we reiterate the need for this to happen in compliance with international humanitarian law. Because we are not insensitive to the enormous toll of innocent civilian victims in Gaza, which not surprisingly have been at the center of our work from the beginning. Just as the humanitarian situation in Gaza is increasingly worrying, and our commitment continues on this front too.” The Prime Minister recalls that «as part of the «Food for Gaza» initiative, over 47 tons of food goods were delivered within the Strip», she thanks the Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, for this and adds that « in Lebanon, immediately after the start of the military escalation, we approved new and immediate humanitarian interventions amounting to 17 million euros which will also support people recently displaced from their homes and the communities that host them”.
«We have approved contributions amounting to 5 million euros for UNRWA’s activities in the West Bank and in support of Palestinian refugees in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. Italy remains available to support specific projects of the Agency, but exclusively following – he points out – a scrupulous control aimed at preventing any form of mixing with terrorist activities”.
«The consequences of the Hamas attack have triggered a regional escalation which risks having unpredictable outcomes. It is our duty to continue to make every possible effort to achieve de-escalation, bringing dialogue back to prevail over the use of force, although it is far from a simple task”, says Meloni again.
«Italy condemned the Iranian attack on Israel and launched an appeal for the responsibility of all regional actors, asking to avoid further degenerations. We also reiterated this the day after the attack, together with the other G7 Leaders. It is necessary to break this cycle of violence and be unanimous in firmly inviting all parties to engage in a constructive way to ease the tension”, he further underlines.
«Italy is committed daily to an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, to the release of the Israeli hostages, to the stabilization of the Israeli-Lebanese border, through the full application of United Nations resolutions», are again Meloni’s words.
And responding to the senator of the League Elena Murellisaid: «We all agree on peace, Italy has been working from the beginning in Ukraine and the Middle East to build peace, then we need to agree on how peace is built in concrete terms: In the Middle East it means continuing to work for ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon. It’s not easy, but it’s the work we dedicate ourselves to every day, myself and the competent ministers. It means the ceasefire, the release of the hostages. I think that the European Union can and must play a role and that we must already think concretely about what should happen in Gaza in the aftermath of the ceasefire, how to concretely accompany the transition towards the two peoples and two states option.”