Italy will resume supporting UNRWAthe United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees, with a payment of five million euros. This was announced by the Foreign Minister Antonio Tajaniafter meeting the prime minister of the Palestinian National Authority at the Farnesina Mohammed Mustafa: “Following the work carried out by independent commission chaired by the former French minister Catherine Colonna and measures to protect the principle of neutrality, Italy has decided to resume financing specific projects intended for assistance to Palestinian refugees, but only afterwards rigorous controls that ensure that not even a penny can risk ending up at support for terrorism“. The funds to the Agency, in fact, had been suspended – from ours and other Western countries – after 12 employees were accused by the Israeli authorities of having took part in the massacre carried out by Hamas on October 7. Recently, however, the Colonna commission’s investigation reiterated the fundamental role of UNRWA in the region, also underlining that Tel Aviv has not yet provided solid evidence to support his accusations.
Others thirty million euros will be dedicated by Italy to the initiative “Food for Gaza” and are added to two packages, already allocated, of twenty million each. “Italy, thanks to its balanced positions, wants play a bridging role and will work with ever greater intensity to bring this phase of the military conflict in Gaza to an end. The visit to Rome of the Palestinian prime minister, who is, fits into this the first in Europe since his inauguration”, claims Tajani. “We believe that it is necessary to work on the solution”two peoples, two states“in the framework of a broader political process that leads to peace, the result of coordinated regional action, with strong support from the international community”, he adds. “It is essential to address both the humanitarian emergency of the Palestinian people and their legitimate aspirations to have their own state, and the equally legitimate security needs of Israel. The creation of a Palestinian state must be an integral part of this path.”
