A proposed law at the Italian parliament is set to
punish the boycott of Israel. In the past, such an
initiative would have been unthinkable. Alas, Italy, a
country that had historic sympathies with the
Palestinian cause has shifted its politics in a
dramatic way in recent years. Most surprisingly,
though, the Left is as implicated as the Right in the
rush to please Israel, at the expense of Palestinian
rights.
The sad reality is this: Italy is moving to the
Israeli camp. This is not only pertinent to political
alignment, but in the reconfiguration of discourse as
well. Israeli priorities, as articulated in Zionist hasbara
(official propaganda) have now become part of our
everyday lexicon of Italian media and politics. As a
result, the Zionist agenda is now part and parcel of
the Italian political agenda as well.
Italy’s anti-Fascist, anti-military occupation and
revolutionary past is being overlooked by self-serving
politicians, growingly beholden to the pressures of a
burgeoning pro-Israel lobby.
Rewriting history
During the so-called “First Republic” (1948 to 1992),
Italy was considered the Western European country most
sympathetic to the Palestinian struggle, not only
because of a widespread feeling of solidarity among
Italians, but also because of the political
environment at the time.
Then, Italian leaders were perfectly aware of the
country’s unique position in the Mediterranean area.
While they were keen on displaying loyalty to the
Atlantic Alliance, they also established good
relations with the Arab world. Maintaining this
balance was not always easy and had led to what it is
now being perceived as ‘radical choices,’ which are
now being disowned and criticized.
The pro-Israel trend has been in motion for years. In
a famous interview with the Israeli newspaper Yediot
Aharonot in 2008, former Italian President
Francesco Cossiga declared: “Dear Italian Jews, we
sold you out.”
Cossiga was referring to the so-called “Lodo
Moro,” an unofficial agreement, which was
allegedly signed in the 1970s by Italian Prime
Minister Aldo Moro and the leaders of the Popular
Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PLFP). Its
understanding supposedly allowed the Palestinian group
to coordinate its actions throughout the Italian
territory, in exchange for the PLFP keeping Italy out
of its field of operation.
The “Lodo Moro” is often used in Israeli hasbara
to highlight Italy’s supposed failures in the past,
and to continue associating Palestinians with
terrorism.
In the interview, Cossiga went further, blaming the
Palestinian group for the Bologna massacre, a
terrorist bombing which devastated the Bologna railway
station in 1980, killing 85 people. Cossiga’s words
may have pleased Israel, but were baseless. The attack
then was the work of an Italian neo-fascist
organization.
Unfortunately, the nonsensical allegations were not
isolated. The example is representative of the general
change of attitude towards Palestine and Israel, one
that is largely predicated on rewriting history.
Then and now
In 1974, the Italian government
advocated for Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s
participation in the United Nations General Assembly;
in 1980, it committed to the EEC Declaration of Venice,
which recognized the Palestinian ‘right to
self-determination’ and, expectedly strongly opposed
by Israel and the US.
Throughout the 1980s, the attitude of the Italian
government was openly pro-Palestinian, which often
lead to foreign policy clashes with Israel and its
American benefactors, especially during the so-called
Crisis of Sigonella in
1985.
During a speech at the Italian
Parliament, socialist Prime Minister Bettino Craxi
went as far as defending the Palestinian right to
armed struggle.
In 1982, Italian President Sandro Pertini talked at
length about the horror of the Sabra and Shatilla
massacre in his traditional end of the year address to the nation.
While center-left political forces supported
Palestine to keep good relations with Arab countries,
left-wing parties were mainly motivated by the
anti-imperialist struggle, which then resonated within
Italian intellectual circles.
But things have changed as Italy is now living in its
‘post-ideological age,’ where morality and ideas are
flexible, and can be reshaped as needed to confer with
political interests.
Today, left-wing parties don’t feel the need to stand
for oppressed nations. They are too beholden to the
diktats of globalization, and are thus driven by
selfish agendas, which, naturally, brings them closer
to the US and Israel.
While neoliberal politics has ravaged much of Europe
in recent years; Italy proved that it is not the
exception.
In October 2016, Italy abstained from the vote on the
UNESCO resolution,
condemning the Israeli occupation of Palestinian East
Jerusalem.
Even that half-hearted move angered Israel, prompting
the Israeli ambassador to Italy to protest. The
Italian prime minister moved quickly to reassure
Israel.
Matteo Renzi spoke harshly of UNESCO’S
proposal. “It is not possible to continue with these
resolutions at the UN and UNESCO that aim to attack
Israel,” he said.
One year earlier, Renzi had officially reaffirmed
Italy’s commitment to Israel in the Israeli Knesset, declaring: “Supporters of
‘stupid’ boycotts betray their own future.”
During his inaugural speech, Italy’s current
president, Sergio Mattarella, addressed the “menace of
international terrorism” by mentioning the attack in
front of The Great Synagogue in Rome, in 1982. His
words “deeply touched Italian Jews,” according to the
right-wing Israeli newspaper the Jerusalem Post.
Rising Zionist influence
Zionist groups constantly try to
sway Italian public opinion.
Their strategy is predicated on two pillars: infusing
Israel’s sense of victimhood (as in poor little Israel
fighting for survival among a sea of Arabs and
Muslims) and injecting the accusation of anti-Semitism
against anyone who challenges the Israeli narrative.
The hasbara instruments are working, as
Italian politics and even culture (through the media)
are increasingly identifying with Israel. Worse still,
the pro-Israel feeling is now completely accepted
among left-wing political parties as well.
According to Ugo Giannangeli, a
prominent criminal attorney who devoted many years to
defending Palestinians’ rights, the Italian parliament
is working on several laws, with the sole purpose of
winning Israel’s approval.
One of these initiatives is Draft law 2043
(Anti-discrimination act). It ought to be called
the Anti-BDS act. The signatories compare boycott of
Israel to “disguised anti-Semitism.” If approved, the
legislation would provide exemplary punishment for BDS
campaigners.
Among the signatories is Emma Fattorini, member of
the Italian Democratic Party and also member of the
“Committee for the protection and promotion of human
rights.” Palestinian rights are, of course, of no
concern to Fattorini at the moment since it appears
nowhere in her ‘human rights’ agenda.
Another signatory is Paolo Corsini, who abandoned the
Democratic Party and moved to left-wing party MDP-Articolo
1. Corsini was also the rapporteur of
the “Agreement between Italy and
Israel on public safety,” already ratified by
the Italian Parliament. The agreement strengthens the
relationship between the two countries in a more
effective way in exchange for Israeli sharing of
information on public order and how to control mass
protests.
Only a few voices are being raised against Italy’s
political and cultural subordination to Israel.
Italian politician Massimo D’Alema, also a former
foreign minister, criticized the changing Italian
policies. In an interview with the
Huffington Post, he criticized Italy and Europe over
their willingness to please Israeli leaders. He called
on the left to reclaim its historic role in support of
the Palestinian people.
There is a lesson here for activists and progressive
politicians that can be learned from the Italian
experience: solidarity with Palestine starts at home,
with strongly opposing any efforts aimed at
criminalizing BDS, while counteracting Israeli hasbara
that is penetrating every aspect of society on a daily
basis.
Romana Rubeo is a freelance translator based in
Italy. She holds a Master’s degree in Foreign
Languages and Literature and she is specialized in
Audiovisual and Journalism Translation. An avid
reader, her interests include music, politics, and
geopolitics.
Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and editor
of Palestine Chronicle. His forthcoming book is ‘The
Last Earth: A Palestinian Story’ (Pluto Press,
London). Baroud has a Ph.D. in Palestine Studies
from the University of Exeter and is a Non-Resident
Scholar at Orfalea Center for Global and
International Studies, University of California
Santa Barbara. His website is www.ramzybaroud.net.