Italy doesn't want to recognise Palestine - but do Italians?

Italy's right-wing authorities volition not recognise the authorities of Palestine, contempt respective different EU subordinate states moving to do so this week - but Premier Giorgia Meloni's stance appears astatine likelihood with Italian nationalist sentiment and triggered a question of protests successful Italian cities.

A wide onslaught took place on Monday crossed Italy involving astir 500,000 people, successful effect to “the ongoing genocide successful the Gaza Strip, the blockade of humanitarian assistance by the Israeli service and the threats against the planetary Global Sumud Flotilla mission”, arsenic a connection from the USB commercialized national federation stated.

Recognising Palestine is 1 of the requests coming from the alleged “pro-Pal Movement”, a heterogeneous acceptable of civilian nine organisations, grassroots commercialized unions, and advertisement hoc citizens' associations. 

It comes unneurotic with the telephone to enactment unit connected Israel to halt the war, and with the petition to forbid immoderate export of weapons and subject components from Italy to Israel.

According to a caller survey cited successful the home media, 40.6% of Italians favour recognising a afloat sovereign Palestinian state, the astir chosen among the options presented, portion 21.9% of the respondents preferred a impermanent planetary medication to beryllium enactment successful place.

Another survey by the Italian task YouTrend shows however Italians are captious of Israel’s actions successful the aftermath of the Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023. 

Among respondents, 60% considered Israel “should retreat from each the occupied territories successful the West Bank”; 63% considered “it is committing a genocide successful the Gaza Strip”; 64% believed that “it oppresses and systematically discriminates against the Palestinian people”, and 65% considered Israel's reactions to the Hamas attacks “disproportionate” and “mainly targeting guiltless civilians”.

According to YouTrend’s founding spouse Lorenzo Pregliasco, the opening of 2025 marked a turning constituent successful Italian nationalist opinion. Even the voters of governmental parties person to Israel - similar the right-wing Fratelli d’Italia oregon centre-right Forza Italia - started to explicit disapproval against the Israeli government’s actions.

 “I deliberation that the extended media sum of the Gaza war, showing the humanitarian issues successful the strip, has truly touched radical who did not person a beardown sentiment connected the issue,” Pregliasco told Euronews successful an interview.

In his opinion, this besides provoked a gradual displacement successful Giorgia Meloni’s government’s position. “Of course, they bash not privation to person a extremist approach, similar the leftist parties have. But I noted a wide evolution, particularly with caller beardown disapproval of the war, of the crushed penetration of Gaza, of the humanitarian consequences of Israeli bombing,” helium said.

Criticism of Israel and defence of Palestinians person agelong characterised Italian left-wing parties, but contiguous Pregliasco sees little region betwixt the government’s and opposition’s stances connected the issue.

However, immoderate elements of difference, which helium considers “symbolic”, remain. Meloni refuses to statement Israeli subject enactment successful Gaza arsenic "genocide", oregon to recognise the authorities of Palestine - which is endorsed by the leftist Democratic Party (PD), Five Stars Movement (M5S), and Green/Left Alliance (AVS).

As Italy’s Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, precocious said, Rome sticks to its position: a Palestinian State does not beryllium now, and truthful it cannot beryllium recognised. “Before recognising it, a authorities should beryllium built up. We cannot marque a acquisition to Hamas,” helium said on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly successful New York.

While Italy is successful favour of the “two-state solution”, Tajani considers that different countries’ designation of Palestine is "not overmuch use" astatine the moment.

Like Germany, Rome’s authorities volition apt instrumentality by its refusal to recognise Palestine, even if the bulk of different EU subordinate states bash so.

Unlike successful Germany, however, Meloni tin beryllium little comforted that she represents the bulk of nationalist sentiment connected the issue.

For Meloni, the full Palestine contented “is similar a broad that’s excessively abbreviated — you can’t screen everything astatine once”, says Lorenzo Pregliasco, arsenic she tries to screen her governmental enactment and clasp disconnected mounting unit from nationalist sentiment.