The Palestinian flag is displayed in the municipality of Bologna: Lepore’s choice becomes a coincidence

The choice of the mayor splits politics: for the Jewish community it is incitement to anti-Semitism while Bignami is an "irresponsible choice"

by Maurizio Papa and Andrea Sangermano

BOLOGNA – The Palestinian flag flies from the facade of Palazzo D’Accursio, seat of the Municipality of Bologna: it was displayed in person by the mayor Matteo Lepore. “As Mayor of a Municipality historically aligned for Peace, non-violence and the protection of human rights – explains Lepore – it is my duty to take a stand and act to guarantee the greatest possible social cohesion in our city”. Hence the decision to display the Palestinian flag next to the ceasefire banner. “We take part in favor of the victims and human rights, once again therefore. We cannot and do not want to remain silent – continues the mayor – because remaining silent in the face of this violence means accepting it” . Lepore adds: “The current Israeli Government must stop and reopen the dialogue front. When this happens and international law is fully restored, we will also display the Israeli flag alongside the Palestinian flag. Because to open up to the possibility once again to have two states, as many of us often say, we must also have two peoples and this risks not being able to happen again due to what the Palestinians are suffering”.

From the first moment, “Bologna wanted to forcefully express its commitment to building a path to peace in Palestine, starting with the request for an immediate ceasefire. Not only did the bombs not stop – he continues the declaration – but the Israeli military escalation in recent days has led to a further massacre of defenseless civilians, many of them children. Every limit has been exceeded as denounced by the main international institutions, the United Nations and Europe included”. As an administration and as a city council, Lepore then recalls, “we have strongly condemned the Hamas terrorist attacks of 7 October 2023 and asked for the release of the Israeli hostages, but nothing can justify what is happening in Rafah, in the Gaza strip. The Palestinian people themselves are doubly victims of extremist madness.”

The discussion on the conflict in the Middle East “is affecting millions of people globally, not just in our city. It will represent for entire generations a historical and identity wound that risks dividing us forever. We must avoid the discussion on a such an important issue can take on further violent forms and open up new democratic spaces for participation, also for this reason as the Municipality we decide to take a further step forward – reports Lepore – by making municipal spaces available to host this discussion and demonstrate in a non-violent way. The Municipality in its tradition and high function of civic agora will do its part.” At the same time, “our closeness and solidarity goes to all Israeli citizens and members of the Jewish community who live and study in our city – states the mayor – because we know that they themselves are suffering a serious situation and many of them they do not share the choices of the Israeli Government. These fellow citizens of ours must be guaranteed maximum respect and protection. All institutions must commit themselves to this end, combating all forms of anti-Semitism and discrimination.” In conclusion: “Let’s start again from dialogue, from mutual recognition of the tragedies suffered and from solidarity”, is the mayor’s appeal.

IN BOLOGNA FDI EXPOSED AGAINST THE PALESTINE FLAG ON THE MUNICIPALITY< /h3>

Another complaint by Fdi against the municipal administration of Bologna: this time the Palestinian flag that mayor Matto Lepore displayed this morning on the façade of Palazzo D’Accursio is what moves the Melonians towards the stamped papers. “It is unacceptable and serious that the mayor Matteo Lepore decides to display the Palestinian flag on the town hall”, declared in a note the councilors Stefano Cavedagna, Fabio Brinati, Felice Caracciolo, Francesco Sassone, Francesca Scarano and Manuela Zuntini.
“Yes it is a gesture which, contrary to what the mayor stated, will not serve to promote any cohesion and indeed – the note continues – risks creating even greater social conflict and fueling the already serious signs of a return of anti-Semitic phenomena”. Displaying the Palestinian flag on Palazzo D’Accursio “is then a gesture that clearly violates the neutrality of the institutional offices and for this reason we will present a specific complaint to the Prefecture”, announces the Fdi advisory group: “Neutrality must always be guaranteed precisely for prevent the Municipality from entering into complex and delicate events such as those in the Middle East with partisanship and so that it does not appear that Bologna offers its solidarity only to some of the victims of the ongoing conflict”. For this reason, “we invite Lepore to withdraw the Palestinian flag and rather to adopt other initiatives that facilitate dialogue between different religions and cultures even within our city – conclude the Melonian councilors – avoiding any political exploitation which has the effect of exacerbating conflicts instead of resolving them”.

JEWISH COMMUNITY BOLOGNA: MUNICIPALITY INCITES ANTI-SEMITISM

An “implicit adherence to the genocidal will of Hamas”. And an “incitement to anti-Semitism”. This is how the Jewish Community of Bologna judges the choice of the Municipality of Bologna to display the Palestinian flag. A decision that “rejects without any ifs or buts”. This was stated by the community council and the Jewish Museum Foundation of Bologna, in a joint note. “Division – they say – this is the only result that the choice of mayor Matteo Lepore can achieve”, which places the Municipality of Bologna “in a debate that today is anything but bilateral”. A choice that is also “evasive with respect to the matrix of the problem of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has in its intentions the extermination of the Jewish people”.
What is happening in Israel and Gaza, continues the Jewish Community of Bologna, “it is the terrible consequence of a situation that the Palestinian leadership in 80 years has never had a sincere interest in resolving. Shouldn’t a ceasefire also be asked from Hamas? Or is this of no use because Israel is in able to defend itself? The Palestinians’ right to a state must pass through their recognition of Israel’s right to exist and defend itself. Palestine should immediately declare that it accepts the principles of democracy and equal rights for all its citizens and women”. For this reason, the Jewish Community of Bologna still maintains, “the display of the Palestinian flag in the absence of these guarantees constitutes an implicit adherence to the slogan ‘from the Jordan to the sea’ and therefore to the genocidal will of Hamas”.

In other words, he attacks the Jewish Community of Bologna, “this is an incitement to anti-Semitism, which puts the Jewish and Israeli presence in our city at great risk and does not even benefit the Palestinians”. The representatives of the Jewish community under the Two Towers say they are still “pained to note that the Municipality of Bologna automatically reports only the versions of one party (Hamas) without attempting to reconstruct the reality also on the basis of Israeli positions. Just as we are struck by how public opinion expects that in a war that Israel did not start, the victims must be “balanced” (which rarely happens in war) and that it does not take into account that Hamas cynically uses the Palestinians as human shields and makes use of the number of victims as a point in his favor”. Mayor Lepore, insists the Jewish Community of Bologna, “talks about dialogue. But dialogue must be promoted by excluding partisan actions and preconceptions. Dialogue between Israel and Hamas, with the return of the hostages and an end to the launch of missiles from Gaza and Lebanon, as the first step towards reaching a ceasefire”.

The representatives of Judaism in Bologna then reiterate that “as citizens who adhere to European and Western ethical and cultural principles, we think it is right to recognize the rights of the Palestinians to have their own State, but within a path of mutual recognition and desire for peace”. The Jewish Community recalls the various peace plans to achieve the recognition of the Palestinian State offered “in 1947, in 1967, in 1979 and that in 2000 at Camp David, in the presence of Bill Clinton, Arafat rejected Ehud Barak’s offer and that in 2008 Abu Mazen rejected one of the most advanced peace plans ever, offered by Ehud Olmer. Both plans, with different nuances, envisaged the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, with the return of 93% of the occupied West Bank. by Israel in 1967. In 2005 Gaza (also occupied in 1967) was completely cleared by the Israelis”.
In short, according to the Jewish Community of Bologna, “Israel has always demonstrated its ability to welcome a willingness for peace peace treaties with Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and other Arab countries which in some cases have lasted for decades and will be able to make peace with the Palestinians who want it”.

BIGNAMI: IRRESPONSIBLE PALESTINE FLAG ON THE MUNICIPALITY OF BOLOGNA

From the Government comes a clear stance against the Palestinian flag which the mayor of Bologna, Matteo Lepore, has decided to display on the façade of the Municipality: “A biased and irresponsible choice, which divides and does not unite, fueling a climate of opposition and conflict which is exactly what there is no need for today”, states deputy minister Galeazzo Bignami.
According to the Fdi exponent, “the origin of what is happening is totally removed, that is to say the massacre of 7 October carried out against unarmed Israeli civilians. The violence, rapes and abuses perpetuated against women and men who were affected are forgotten because they were Israelis or on Israeli territory.
The fate of the over 100 hostages still held by the terrorists of Israel is removed. Hamas”. The deputy minister from Bologna adds: “If it is necessary to distinguish between the Palestinian people and Hamas, it is equally necessary to reaffirm the right of the State of Israel to exist and to defend itself and to defend its people and its borders”. For Bignami “dialogues are not built by displaying flags and fueling divisions, but by finding and working on common spaces, even physical ones, for dialogue and comparison between cultural and religious identities”.

PD BOLOGNA: PALESTINIAN FLAG ON COMMON GESTURE OF SOLIDARITY