Giuseppe Conte told the Chamber of Deputies that, if his party enters government, it will recognise a Palestinian state and end Italy’s military cooperation agreement with Israel. He made the pledge while seeking urgent consideration of a bill concerning the West Bank, calling for the restoration of international law.
The bill, introduced by the Democratic Party, the Five Star Movement and the Greens and Left Alliance, would prohibit imports of goods and services from Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory. Conte said the proposal presented a choice about the values Italy should uphold, and criticised the country for not joining restrictions adopted by 10 other countries two months earlier, including the United Kingdom and Canada.
The Chamber rejected the request to fast-track the bill by 149 votes to 109. Italia Viva and More Europe supported the urgency motion alongside the three sponsoring groups. Italia Viva’s Roberto Giachetti said the proposal could be improved and that his party wanted to work on it, while More Europe’s Benedetto Della Vedova argued that the issue needed to be addressed urgently.
Sources: ANSA Politica.