19/05/2021

Distinguished Minister, Deputy Minister, Director General DGCS, Director General AICS,

We are extremely alarmed and concerned by the incomprehensible escalation of violence, the unacceptable number of civilian casualties and the blatant continuous violations of international law that we are witnessing in these days in Palestine.

a) We deem it indispensable and urgent that our Government promote diplomatic action for the immediate ceasefire and for the respect of international law with concrete interventions towards the Israeli and Palestinian Authorities, towards the United Nations, the Union Union and the Heads of Government who care about peace, respect for international law and peaceful coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis.

We are witnessing indiscriminate bombings affecting civilians, especially children and families who have nothing to do with the touted terrorist presence, as well as schools, health facilities, homes, the media and damaged projects supported by Italian Cooperation and the European Union.

For too many years we have witnessed intolerable violations of rights, abuses and violence affecting Palestinian communities with orders of evictions and expulsions from their homes, forced expropriations, demolitions, with an unstoppable process of Israeli colonization in the West Bank in violation of international law. The continuous logic and brutality of force is the most harmful and contrary to the construction of a just peace and peaceful coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis, each with its own state.

b) We are also alarmed and concerned by the frequent serious, propaganda and unfounded accusations made by international cooperation actors in Palestine of diverting cooperation funds to terrorist organizations. For some time now and even more recently, these accusations have found space in the Israeli press, media and social media and, as is known, have also been taken up by the Italian press and media and recently also by speeches by Deputies in our Chamber.

We believe that a clear intervention by our Government in concert with the Italian CSOs cannot be postponed, explaining to the public opinion in an unequivocal manner the meaning of the action of the Italian governmental and non-governmental Cooperation, and the humanitarian principles which inspire it and which protect the very role of the Agency in its fundamental humanitarian, development and peace-building action in Palestine. This is all the more urgent and fundamental at a time when humanitarian action is essential to alleviate the suffering and violations of the most basic rights that the Palestinian people are experiencing.

As Italian CSOs engaged for decades on the front line in Palestine for the protection and affirmation of rights and for the construction of a just peace, we feel the urgent need for a discussion on these issues both with this Ministry and with the AICS Agency. For this reason we urgently request a meeting to discuss these issues and agree on a common position to protect human rights and international humanitarian law and the work of the
Italian Cooperation in the area.

Awaiting your timely reply, we send
our best regards

Silvia Stilli , AOI spokesperson
Roberto Ridolfi , President of Link 2007
Raffaele Salinari , CINI spokesperson
Gianluca Falcitelli , OSC Italian Med. and Middle East spokesperson