Schifani and Lagalla meet with the Israeli ambassador: controversy erupts

A visit to the president of the Region, Renato Schifani, and one to the mayor of Palermo, Roberto Lagalla, by the Israeli ambassador Johnathan Peled. A meeting that became public only when Peled promoted it on his social media channels.

And it immediately sparked controversy: «I learn with surprise and deep concern about the official visit to Palermo by Peled, and his meetings yesterday with mayor Roberto Lagalla and with the president of the Sicilian Region Renato Schifani. At a time of severe international tension, with an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the Middle East, it is legitimate to question the necessity and political significance of this official reception by the highest offices of the city and the Region».

Thus spoke the Pd deputy at the Ars and regional vice secretary of the party Valentina Chinnici. «We are referring - she recalls - to the ambassador of a country that has recently attacked Iran and that has been conducting policies of occupation and extermination of the Palestinian population for decades, as denounced by numerous international organizations and as is evident to the whole world in Gaza. Palermo boasts decades of privileged relations and deep friendship with the Palestinian people. These ties have always focused on cultural cooperation and the defense of human rights. Receiving the Israeli ambassador in this way, as if it were a routine visit, risks appearing as insensitivity towards that people and those sister cities that are experiencing a huge tragedy».

«On his official X profile - she continues - Peled writes that he discussed with the mayor and president Schifani about new possible collaborations in various sectors, such as water resource management, agriculture, tourism, digital innovation, and cybersecurity. This is the point that concerns me the most. What agreements or collaborations are being outlined with a foreign government in strategic sectors such as water, agriculture, and cybersecurity? The regional government and the Municipality have a duty to report to the Ars and the citizens. Institutional relations cannot be established in silence, especially with a country that is currently at the center of a conflict and whose policies are under a genocide proceeding before the International Court of Justice. Sicily cannot and must not become a stage to normalize relations with a government that systematically violates international law».

«I ask President Schifani and Mayor Lagalla - he concludes - to make public the detailed report of the discussions held with the Israeli ambassador. It is necessary to clarify what position the Sicilian institutions intend to take at a time when the international community is divided and whether these new 'collaborations' respect the principles of peace, justice, and solidarity that should guide public action, especially in a land of meeting and dialogue like ours».