'Symbolic' initiative: Meloni and Schlein clash over Global Sumud Flotilla

 ROME - Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has decided to respond to the letter from Democratic Party (PD) Secretary Elly Schlein, in which the centre-left leader asked what steps would be taken to ensure the safety of the crew, which includes many Italian citizens, among them four members of Parliament: PD's Arturo Scotto and Annalisa Corrado, as well as Benedetta Scuderi from the Greens and Left Alliance and Marco Croatti from the Five Star Movement, reports Il Fatto Quotidiano.

 According to the Democratic Party, Meloni’s response was “vague and evasive” as she stated that there are “alternative channels” for delivering aid to the population of Gaza that are “more effective.” However, in any case, the government “ensures that all necessary measures for the protection and safety of Italian citizens” on board the Flotilla heading to the Strip will be taken.

 “To facilitate the successful delivery of essential goods to the Palestinian population, considering the limited quantity of aid that can be transported on the vessels involved, it is suggested to consider using alternative and more effective delivery channels,” the Prime Minister stated, noting that the government, according to her, has played a “leading role” through the “Food for Gaza” initiative, which made it possible to “distribute over 200 tons of essential supplies, including food and medical aid, even reaching the most isolated and hard-to-access areas of the Strip.”

 Meloni then described the Global Sumud Flotilla as a mission that “may also have a symbolic or political purpose and is therefore intended to proceed regardless of what has been stated above. The Italian government ensures that all measures for the protection and safety of Italian citizens abroad in similar situations will be adopted, as has always been the case,” she wrote in her response to Schlein.

 “Using already active humanitarian channels, not only on the part of the Italian government,” Meloni added, “would avoid exposing participants in the Global Sumud Flotilla initiative to the risks of entering a conflict zone and the resulting burden on the various national authorities involved in ensuring protection and safety.”

 Meloni’s reasoning did not convince the Democratic Party: “It seems like a vague and evasive response. We would like to remind Giorgia Meloni that the purpose of the Global Sumud Flotilla mission is certainly not symbolic: we’re talking about tons of food intended for Gaza that will bring relief to its suffering population. And we stress that this is not a political initiative, but a humanitarian one,” wrote Senate and Chamber leaders Francesco Boccia and Chiara Braga, along with Brussels delegation head Nicola Zingaretti.

 The Flotilla, they noted, “is trying to do what European governments should be doing but are not.” For this reason, they reiterated their request that “the Italian government guarantee the safety and protection of a mission that also includes Italian parliamentarians on board.”

rs