Italy backs conditional recognition of Palestine amid flotilla uproar
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Italy conditions the recognition of Palestine on Hamas accepting certain terms.
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Pro-Palestine demonstrators gather for a national general strike called by unions to protest against the genocide in Gaza two days after "Israel" hijacked a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in the Mediterranean Sea, in Rome, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP)
Italy's parliament approved a motion to conditionally recognize the State of Palestine, a decision that came amid widespread protests across the country supporting the Global Sumud Flotilla, which had been hijacked by "Israel".
The new motion predicates the recognition of Palestine on two key conditions: the release of all remaining captives held by Hamas and the group's agreement not to participate in any future Palestinian administration.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is attempting to make a conciliatory gesture toward the growing pro-Palestine sentiment in Italy while still ensuring her government's support for "Israel" remains unwavering.
Meloni, who has long presented herself as a staunch ally of "Israel", now confronts rising domestic dissent following a series of nationwide strikes that were triggered by "Israel's" raid on the Gaza-bound aid flotilla known as the Global Sumud.
Tens of thousands protest 'Israel', unions announce strikes in Italy
Thousands of people took to the streets this week in Rome, Milan, and other cities to protest "Israel's" hijacking of the Gaza-bound fleet and the detainment of dozens of Italians and other nationals, leading Italy’s USB and CGIL unions to call for a general strike for October 3 with demonstrations planned across the country.
In Rome, around 20,000 protesters, many of whom were students, rallied outside the Termini train station, waving Palestinian flags, chanting "Free Palestine!", and marching from the Colosseum with a banner that read: "Against Genocide. Let's block everything."
Organizers estimated that 50,000 people turned out in Milan, where a US flag was reportedly set on fire, while demonstrations also erupted in Bologna with more than 10,000 people taking to the streets. Florence, Naples, Turin, and Sicily were also the venues of similar protests.
Italy's Unione Sindacale di Base (USB) trade union declared a nationwide general strike on October 1 in response to earlier reports that the Gaza-bound aid flotilla, the Global Sumund Fleet, was being raided to halt its progress.
On October 26, Italy's largest trade union, the CGIL, also declared that it would call a general strike should the humanitarian flotilla to Gaza be blocked or attacked.
