Italian MPs raise Palestinian flag in parliament
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Italian MPs from the opposition Five Star Movement make a symbolic gesture by displaying Palestinian flags in parliament.
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Italian 5-star movement MPs raise the Palestinian flag in the Italian parliament, 28 March 2024 (Social Media)
Italian MPs from the opposition Five Star Movement displayed Palestinian flags in parliament on Tuesday during a debate on the Middle East crisis.
While MP Riccardo Ricciardi addressed the chamber, several lawmakers raised five Palestinian flags along with a peace flag, urging Italy to acknowledge the state of Palestine.
"We must never be afraid to recognize a community's chance to rally around a flag," Ricciardi said.
He criticized Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's hard-right government for what he deemed as "double standards" for voicing support for a "two-state solution" while abstaining from a recent UN resolution regarding full Palestinian membership in the global body.
The presiding officer of the Chamber reminded MPs that partisan symbols were prohibited inside, prompting the Five Star MPs to relinquish the flags to parliamentary officials after a brief display.
No immediate sanction was issued, but a spokesperson for the chamber said as quoted by AFP that the speaker's office would investigate the matter. In a similar vein, France's parliament suspended a left-wing lawmaker for two weeks on Tuesday after he displayed a Palestinian flag during a contentious discussion on whether Paris should acknowledge Palestinian statehood.
Spain, Ireland, Norway officially recognize Palestinian state
Earlier today, Spain, Ireland, and Norway officially recognized a Palestinian state in separate statements issued consecutively.
The move means that 145 of the United Nations' 193 member states now recognize Palestinian statehood.
In 2014, Sweden became the first EU member to recognize a Palestinian state.
It followed six other European countries that took the step before joining the bloc: Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Romania.
The Hamas Movement welcomed last week's announcement by Ireland, Norway, and Spain of recognizing the State of Palestine, urging countries around the world to follow in their footsteps and recognize the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people, support their struggle for liberation and independence, and end the Israeli occupation.
In a statement issued last week, the movement described this announcement as an "important step" on the path of establishing the Palestinians' right to their land and independent state with al-Quds as its capital.
