The 78,514 signatures collected by the Schierarsi Association in support of the popular initiative bill for the recognition of the State of Palestine by our country. In the text of the proposal – which has largely exceeded the minimum threshold of 50 thousand signatures required within six months to be presented to Parliament – we read that “Italy recognizes the State of Palestine with its capital in East Jerusalem as a sovereign and independent statein accordance with United Nations resolutions and international law”. In order for the proposal to become state law, Parliament will have to express its opinion, but it is not – at least formally – obliged to discuss the text.
Despite the deafening media silence on the initiative, Schierarsi, whose vice-president is the former deputy and political activist Alessandro Di Battista, managed to fully hit – and by a wide margin – its objective (of the almost 80 thousand signatures collected, approximately 15 thousand are certified online signatures). In the explanatory report of the text, which will now be examined by the President of the Senate, the promoters have put it in black and white that “the tragic events that have occurred since October 7, 2023 leave no room for further postponements with respect to the need to involve two peoples in a mediation table who both have the same dignity as citizens of a free stateindependent and sovereign”, highlighting how “contributing in a concrete way to the peace process in the region, to be sought also through the solution of the recognition of the two States, Palestine and Israel” represents “one of the objectives frequently declared by the highest Italian institutions on every occasion of meeting with the Palestinian Authorities”. «It was an extraordinary experience: 150 active squares, 1,100 initiatives throughout the national territory, 1,400 volunteers, 34 external associations that supported us – he declared to The Independent Luca Di Giuseppe, president of the Schierarsi Association –. 78,514 Italian citizens ask Italy to recognize the State of Palestine. Now the parliamentarians of the Republic will have to take a position, or else take responsibility for not giving them an answer». «In 2018 I left Parliament by my own will – said Alessandro Di Battista shortly before delivering the signatures to the Senate – I have never set foot back and today I will return on behalf of the citizens who are outraged by what terrorism is doing of the Israeli state and for the disgusting hypocritical response from the Italian institutions. Starting with this fearful government, made up of the “mother, woman, Christian”, which remains silent in the face of a massacre of Palestinian children.”
After the recent measures by Spain, Norway and Ireland, among the 193 member states of the UN organization there are now 146 that recognize the right of the Palestinians to exist as a political and geographical entity, approximately three quarters of the international community (to which the Vatican City is added). However, the United States of America, Canada, Australia and most of the member countries of the European Union are missing. Among these is Italy, which now, thanks to the presentation in Parliament of this popular initiative bill, would have the opportunity to turn the page. Pursuant to Article 71, second paragraph, of the Constitution, the people exercise legislative initiative through the proposal, by at least 50,000 voters, of a project drawn up in articles. When a popular initiative bill is presented to the Senate, the President, before announcing it to the Assembly, must arrange for the signatures of the proposing voters to be verified and counted to ensure the regularity of the proposal. Parliamentary bodies they are not obliged to express their opinion on popular initiative proposals and there are no mechanisms that guarantee forms of procedural priority. However, Article 74 of the Senate Regulations requires the competent Committees to begin examining the popular initiative bills assigned to them within and no later than one month from the referral, and then conclude it within three months from the assignment.
[di Stefano Baudino]
