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The Western World has been slow to react to Israel’s genocide in Gaza. With the siege, bombing, and blockade having just recently passed its 600th day, multiple regional-level European governments are choosing to do what they can to try and dissuade the Israeli government from inflicting more death and misery on the Palestinians.
The Italian regions of Emilia Romagna and Puglia have “severed relations” with Israel. The president of the former, Michele De Pascale, told Italian media on Saturday that “each of us is called to do what is within our possibilities,” to bring an end to the siege which had killed at least 4,300 since March 18th when Israel abandoned the ceasefire that had stood since Donald Trump had been elected, and currently leaves 100% of the strip at risk of famine.
On Thursday, Puglia’s president Michele Emiliano announced on X that the southern region had cut ties with Netanyahu’s government “due to the ongoing genocide of the defenseless,” and will several any economic, diplomatic, or cultural arrangements with Tel Aviv.
In Spain, the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, announced a similar severance, as well as an end to the friendship agreement between Barcelona and Tel Aviv. Speaking frankly and perhaps reservedly, Collboni said “the suffering and death in Gaza over the past year and a half, and recent attacks by the Israeli government, make any relationship unviable”.
Barcelona’s previous mayor moved to undertake a similar action even before Hamas’ attack beyond the walls of Gaza on October 7th, and was roundly criticized as antisemitic—including by the Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez who ironically went on to be one of Israel’s sharpest critics during the genocide.
The current Italian right-wing government has been sympathetic to Israel, and it’s likely as much as can be done by men like Emiliano and De Pascale to voice their displeasure with that stance. Will their actions mean that Israelis cannot import Prosciutto di Parma or Parmigiano Reggiano—famous products of Emilia Romagna—anymore? Will Israeli citizens and firms be banned from involvement in the Grand Prix at Imola or from attending games at FC Barcelona’s famous Camp Nou stadium in a city that is one of the 5 most-visited on Earth? Will any associated loss of business affect Israel or its firms at all in a long term meaningful way?
The answers are understandably unclear, and the decisions by the three regional leaders are largely symbolic. In general, one would imagine this peaceful form of state protest taking place much earlier in the siege of Gaza, as already 80% of the strip is under occupation or slated to be occupied, and over 600,000 Palestinians are likely to have already been displaced in the middle of a famine.
On a more impactful note, the two largest petro-workers unions in Brazil wrote letters to the Brazilian government demanding they take a firmer stance on Israel’s conduct. The workers noted that 2.7 million barrels of oil were exported to Israel which make up a significant portion of the nation’s supply, and that neighboring countries Colombia and Chile have already suspended various agreements and trade with the country over the genocide; Colombia’s president calling it just that.
Unlike Italy, Brazil’s leadership has had nothing good to say about the genocide, but actions speak louder, and the union workers pointed out that it’s very likely the fuel exported to Israel was used for military endeavors.
A word of wars
From those engaged in committing the genocide, and their guarantors, the rhetoric remains as firm as ever. On the topic of European leaders voicing their opinions on Gaza, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee recently called comments made by French President Emanual Macron over a Palestinian state “incredibly inappropriate”.
“If France is really so determined to see a Palestinian state, I’ve got a suggestion for them—carve out a piece of the French Riviera and create a Palestinian state,” he told Fox News Sunday. Huckabee previously stated that there’s no such thing as the West Bank, and no such thing as a Palestinian.
Genocidal intent, as demonstrated by South Africa in her World Court case against Israel, has been proven time and time again, and another such statement was made by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on the back of the largest expansion of illegal settlements on the West Bank of the Jordan River in over 30 years, according to Antiwar.
“This is a decisive response to the terrorist organizations that are trying to harm and weaken our hold on this land—and it is also a clear message to Macron and his associates: they will recognize a Palestinian state on paper—but we will build the Jewish Israeli state here on the ground,” Katz said. “The paper will be thrown into the trash bin of history, and the State of Israel will flourish and prosper”.
In a joint statement on the settlement expansion, Katz and Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich explicitly stated that the purpose was to prevent a Palestinian state from being established.
“All the new communities are being established with a long-term strategic vision, aimed at reinforcing Israeli control of the territory, preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state, and securing development reserves for settlement in the coming decades,” the ministers said. WaL
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PICTURED ABOVE: Michele De Pascale, President of Emilia Romagna PC: Quirinale
