“She begged me to come here, otherwise I wouldn’t have come.” Elena Basile, writer and former ambassador, finally gets up and leaves Piazzapulita after an evening of back and forth with Corrado Formigli in an episode that culminated with the final battle and early goodbyes.
“I believe in a journalism that does not perform but seeks answers…”, says Basile, addressing the host during the discussion. “You should ask yourself what can be done for the children” of Gaza “who will die tomorrow. It can be done that the major European countries, instead of prohibiting pro-Palestine demonstrations, could ask for the opening of the crossing” with Egypt “to allow the support of children, to get the sick out, to get medicines in. If there are 200 hostages, we should say ‘we have to save the hostages because in exchange Israel will promise not to bomb the houses'”, he states to a perplexed Formigli.
The broadcast unfolds between duels with the other guests. Mario Calabresi tries to explain his opinion. “Doctor Calabresi, now I’ll speak…”, Basile repeats. Nathalie Tocci, director of the Institute for International Affairs, is ‘reprimanded’ by Basile. Formigli tries to get the discussion back on track, but the situation appears compromised. “I’m leaving, I don’t calm down when I think about the children in Gaza who are waiting to die while we sit here debating whether Hamas is a terrorist organization and whether Israel should respect the rules. It’s not a legal question, it’s a political question,” says Basile, complaining about alleged interruptions. In the end, the fracture proves irreparable. The former ambassador stands up: “You asked me to come here, otherwise I wouldn’t have come. Thank you”, she says, turning to Formigli. The journalist’s reply closes the parenthesis: “It was a pleasure”.
Basile and the ‘previous’ to Otto e mezzo
In the space of 24 hours, Basile is therefore the protagonist twice on the screens of la7. On the evening of Wednesday 11 October, Otto e mezzo provoked a reaction from Aldo Cazzullo, who blurted out when the interlocutor delved into an analysis of the hostages in the hands of Hamas: “The White House thinks that there are very few American hostages in the hands to Hamas,” says Lilli Gruber. “Very few American hostages is bad news – declares Basile – if there were many hostages I believe that the United States could have that role of moderation…”. Cazzullo immediately intervenes and blurts out: “How can he say that it’s not good news that there are few American hostages, but he’s ashamed of his erudition!”. The former ambassador tries to correct the situation by explaining that “Washington would have a duty to have greater influence if there were American hostages”. And she turned to Cazzullo: “she didn’t understand the problem”. Basile continues to speak and Gruber intervenes to close the matter.
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