Meloni: 'On arms to Israel more restrictive than partners'. And on Poste: "It remains in Italian hands".
The Prime Minister in the Senate for communications ahead of the European Council of 17 and 18 October. In the afternoon, the reply to the House. "There is a rising anti-Semitism that must worry us all," the Prime Minister added, reiterating that "the EU summit will confirm support for Ukraine". And again: 'I hope in the OK to Fitto without distinctions, he will make the case for flexibility'. The hope is that 'the EU will look into possible common debt instruments'.
5' min read
Key points
- Meloni: justifying Hamas and Hezbollah is anti-Semitism
- "I hope OK to Fitto without distancing and wavering
- "In EU Fitto will make the case for flexibility"
- "EU checks possible common debt instruments"
- "On stop 2035 endothermic engine have courage to reopen match"
- Oppositions in short order: stop arms to Israel
5' min read
First the Senate, then the Chamber of Deputies approved the majority resolution on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's communications in view of the European Council. In the case of Palazzo Madama the yes votes were 104 yes, 65 no and 2 abstained. In the House the yes vote was 190, the no vote 117, and 10 abstained. The premier spoke in the morning in the Senate, in the afternoon in Montecitorio.
"After the start of operations in Gaza, the government immediately suspended all new export licences" and "all agreements signed after 7 October have not been applied. The licences authorised before are all being analysed on a case-by-case basis by the competent authority at the Farnesina," said Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during her reply in the debate on communications in the Senate ahead of the European Council. "I want to recall that the Italian position of a complete block on all new licences is much more restrictive than that applied by our partners, France, Germany and the United Kingdom: these partners continue to operate a case-by-case assessment also for new licences, we have blocked everything".
"Although there have been no victims or significant damage, I believe that Israel's attack on Unifil "cannot be considered acceptable" and this is the position that Italy has taken with determination at all levels: we demand that the safety of our soldiers be guaranteed both in Unifil and in the bilateral mission, who together with the rest of the international community have contributed for years" to the stability of the border between Israel and Lebanon. So said the Prime Minister in her speech to the Senate ahead of the European Council, stressing that "the attitude of the Israeli forces is completely unjustified and a blatant violation of UN Resolution 1701". We must "work on the full application of the resolution, strengthening the full capacity of Unifil and the Lebanese armed forces".
Prime Minister: Poste remains in Italian hands, we do not sell off jewellery
After the Senate, in the afternoon Meloni spoke in the Chamber of Deputies in the debate on communications ahead of the European Council. Among the topics addressed was the privatisation of the Poste. 'Poste in any case must remain in the hands of the Italians,' she stressed, 'this is how the government is moving. Because unlike what we have often seen done in this country, we do not intend to sell off any of the family jewels'.
Meloni: Justifying Hamas and Hezbollah is anti-Semitism
In her speech to the Senate, however, the Prime Minister also said that 'remembering and strongly condemning what happened on 7 October 2023, is the prerequisite for any political action we must take to restore peace in the Middle East, because increasingly the albeit legitimate criticism of Israel is mixed with a justificationism of organisations such as Hamas and Hezbollah, and this, like it or not, betrays something else. It betrays a rising anti-Semitism that, I believe, should worry us all. And the street demonstrations of recent days have, unfortunately, demonstrated this without fear of contradiction'.
