Italy starts again with funding for UNRWA. This was announced today, 25 May, by the Vice President of the Council Antonio Tajani while meeting the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants of the Palestinian Authority, Mohammed Mustafa, at the Farnesina.
“Italy, thanks to its balanced positions, wants to play a bridging role and will work with ever greater intensity to bring this phase of the military conflict in Gaza to an end. The Palestinian prime minister’s visit to Rome, which is the first in Europe since its establishment”, commented Tajani.
“I informed Mustafa – he added – that the Government has arranged new funding for the Palestinian population, for a total of 35 million euros, which are in addition to what has already been done in response to the crisis. Of these, 5 million will be allocated to UNRWA: following the work carried out by the independent Commission chaired by the former French minister Colonna and the measures to protect the principle of neutrality, Italy has decided to resume financing specific projects intended for assistance to Palestinian refugees, but only after rigorous controls that guarantee that not even a penny risks ending up supporting terrorism”, while 30 million euros will be dedicated to the ‘Food for Gaza’ initiative.
30 million to ‘Food for Gaza’
During the conversation, Tajani announced that, after the first two aid packages of 20 million already allocated, the Government has decided to prepare a new, third package which, from the 20 million already decided in recent weeks, has decided to increase to 30 million euros. The ‘Food for Gaza’ initiative, which the deputy prime minister had presented to Israeli Foreign Minister Katz during his visit to Rome on 7 April, was activated in coordination with FAO, WFP and Ficross to bring concrete help, in terms of food security, to the Palestinian population.
This is further support that adds to the work done by Italy on the humanitarian front during the past few months to exfiltrate 156 Palestinian citizens from the Gaza Strip, including 58 injured minors who have benefited from the care of our hospitals and their companions in Italy. . In parallel, the collaboration with the UAE remains active from a medical point of view with the sending of Italian personnel to the United Arab Emirates, where our doctors contributed to visiting and operating on some pediatric patients with serious traumas, transported from Gaza.
“Two peoples, two states solution through political process”
“We believe that it is necessary to work on the ‘two peoples, two States’ solution within the framework of a broader political process that leads to peace, the result of coordinated regional action, with strong support from the international community. It is essential to address both the humanitarian emergency of the Palestinian people and their legitimate aspirations to have their own state, and the equally legitimate security needs of Israel. The creation of a Palestinian state must be an integral part of this path,” declared the Vice President.
Tajani reiterated that Italy will continue to ensure, as in the past, full support for the Palestinian Authority and its strengtheningas demonstrated by initiatives to develop autonomous capabilities in governance and security.
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