Meloni stated that the Rome government will recognize Palestinian statehood only when feasible conditions arise, maintaining strong support for Israel in the EU.
The strike followed after Genoa dockworkers pledged to back the Global Sumud Flotilla, featuring activist Greta Thunberg, by threatening to halt container ships destined for Israel. Recently, stevedores in Ravenna barred trucks reportedly carrying arms to Israel.
Protests occurred in 81 Italian locations under the banner “Let’s Block Everything.” Train and bus services were suspended, and educational institutions were closed as transport workers, teachers, and students joined the strike.
In Florence, protesters blocked a major highway. In Genoa, dockworkers blocked port entrances, and students closed access to universities in Turin, Rome, and Milan. In Venice, demonstrators headed to the port with banners stating “Gaza is burning, we will block everything.”
Giovanni Donzelli, a senior lawmaker from Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, said to ITALPress, “This isn’t the moment to recognize Palestine, although it’s necessary and useful, it must occur with Arab states recognizing Israel.”
War has persisted in the Gaza Strip for nearly two years after an October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel resulted in about 1,200 civilian deaths. Around 250 people, including children, were captured and taken to Gaza by Hamas and other groups.
The Gaza Health Ministry, governed by Hamas, reports over 64,000 Palestinian deaths due to Israel’s retaliatory strikes on the enclave. U.N. agencies and independent experts generally view the ministry’s casualty counts as reliable.
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