Gaza: Italy explanation of vote, “Hamas condemnation was missing”

NEW YORK, OCTOBER 27 – Along with 44 other Member States Italy abstained today in the General Assembly. Ambassador Maurizio Massari said that three crucial elements were missing in the text of the resolution adopted today with 120 votes in favour and 14 against including Israel and the United States: the unequivocal condemnation in the strongest terms and without any ambiguity of the heinous attacks by Hamas last October 7th against innocent Israeli civilians; the recognition of legitimate right of self-defense of any State, of Israel in this case, under attack; the humanitarian imperative to release immediately and unconditionally all hostages taken on October 7th and to treat them humanely. “We could not support the resolution because of these three elements missing”, said the Italian Permanent Representative.

Explaining Italy’s vote, Massari stressed that “it was extremely important that, in the face of the stalemate in the Security Council, the main body of the United Nations could serve as a multilateral forum of discussion on the most pressing issue of today. Italy is and will be firmly standing in solidarity with Israel. For us Israeli security is in no way negotiable. This is what Italian government, at highest level, from our Prime Minister to our Foreign Minister, has been stating all along”.

Italy added that “we should avoid to fall into the trap of those terrorists, those responsible of the attacks on October 7h that would like to turn the Middle East into an area of clash of civilizations, religions, cultures. While stating our full solidarity with Israel, we will continue to be engaged as Italy in our active intense diplomacy aimed at building bridges with moderate Arab states, with our friends and partners, including the Palestinian Authorithy, in the attempt to build a peaceful environment in the region, based on mutual respect and mutual recognition”. While recognizing the efforts on the part of the Arab partners who put the resolutions forward, “the improvements that they have accepted to include in the text have been unfortunately not enough for us to support the draft”.

While the conflict is ongoing, Italy’s priority is to display all the possible diplomatic efforts to allow the safe and unimpeded passage of aid, while firmly demanding the immediate unconditional release of all hostages without preconditions, said Massari: “We need also to intensify our common efforts to avoid the conflict to spill over beyond Gaza, whose consequences would be unimaginable, for the region and for the entire world”.

The only way to avoid such dangerous prospect – said the Italian Ambassador – is to promote the resumption of a political initiative for a concrete, structural, long-term solution with a precisely defined time line, based on “two peoples, two states” perspective: “The Palestinian people must have the right to be a self-governing Nation, in freedom, alongside a State of Israel to which the full right to existence and security must be unequivocally and unambiguously recognized”. (@OnuItalia)