34 former ambassadors to Meloni: 'Recognise the State of Palestine'

The unacceptable restrictions on humanitarian access to Gaza, the reduction to unacceptable minimum levels, with no real alternatives, of the activities of international organisations in favour of a self-styled humanitarian foundation, are causing thousands of new innocent victims, in addition to the tens of thousands already caused by the massive and indiscriminate Israeli bombardments throughout the Strip. In recent months we have witnessed incessant forced displacements of population from one part of the Strip to another without any real international protection zones. All this has happened while all the infrastructures of Gaza, necessary even for the survival of the population, have been systematically destroyed, starting with hospitals, and continuing with schools, universities, and the refugee camps themselves.

In the face of all this, we no longer need declarations, however necessary they may be, such as the one signed by 30 foreign ministers (and one EU Commissioner) on 21 July, which Italy deservedly joined. Concrete and effective political-diplomatic gestures are needed.

Faced with the recurrence of massacres and massacres of civilians, we call on the government to take consequent action, in particular the following:

1. suspend all military and defence relations and cooperation of any kind with Israel;

2. Support at the EU level any initiative that provides for individual sanctions (restrictions on international travel and freezing of economic and financial assets) against Israeli ministers - such as Smotrich and Ben G'vir - who encourage and support the proliferation of illegal settlements and settler violence in the West Bank;

3. join the European consensus for the temporary suspension of the Association Agreement between Israel and the European Union.

The initiative to be taken urgently, of the highest political significance and anything but merely symbolic, is the immediate national recognition of the State of Palestine, in view of the international conference on the implementation of the two-state solution. We ask the government to reconsider. This decision would confirm that on the Italian side, the prospect of 'two peoples, two states' is not just a slogan devoid of meaning and any credibility, but that it is a path of negotiation that must be resumed immediately. Relations with Israel must be strictly conditioned to this perspective. The possible annexation of all or part of the Palestinian territories, for example, should entail a radical revision of diplomatic relations with Israel.

Madam President-in-Office of the Council, the long years spent in the diplomatic service, holding fast to the cause of peace and dialogue, in the spirit of Article 11 of the Republican Constitution, have prompted us to address this appeal to you, as we cannot remain silent and inert in the face of the systematic denial underway by the Israeli government of all that we have believed in and for which we have carried out our diplomatic profession.

Signatories in alphabetical order:

1. Aldo Amati

2. Antonio Armellini

3. Marco Baccin

4. Piero Benassi

5. Mario Boffo

6. Alberto Bradanini

7. Giovanni Brauzzi

8. Rocco Cangelosi

9. Ino Cassini

10. Rosanna Rabbit

11. Antonio D'Andria

12. Anna Della Croce

13. Roberto Di Leo

14. Pasquale Ferrara

15. Giovanni Ferrero

16. John Germano

17. Luca Giansanti

18. Aldo Mantovani

19. Maurizio Melani

20. Andrea Meloni

21. Elio Menzione

22. Laura Mirachian

23. Enrico Nardi

24. Ferdinando Nelli Feroci

25. Claudio Pacifico

26. Angelo Persiani

27. Michelangelo Pipan

28. Cristina Ravaglia

29. Lucius Albert Savoy

30. Stefano Starace Janfolla

31. Stefano Stefanini

32. Pasquale Quito Terracciano

33. Carlo Trezza

34. Gianfranco Varvesi