Over 150 Italian MPs from all political parties have signed an open letter calling on the international community to a opposed recognition by the United Nations of a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state, which will be presented at the United Nations General Assembly later this month. The same letter has been presented in several countries world-wide by the International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians, chaired by Italian MP Fiamma Nirenstein (pictured on the right).
The document, launched by the Italy-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Association, calls for a rapid resumption of peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians, aimed at reaching a peace based on mutual agreement. “Unilateralism”, the document asserts, “violates international legality and harms the value of treaties among people”. The preamble of the UN Charter itself states that the UN is determined “to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties (… ) can be maintained”.
The 150 MPs letter explains how unilateralism undermines all accepted international agreements for peace such as UN Security Council resolutions 242, 338, and 1850; the Roadmap for Peace; and various Quartet statements and in fact it obliterates all the pre-existent agreement between Israelis and Palestinians. Moreover, if a unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state were to take place at the upcoming General Assembly, it will effectively constitute a recognition of Hamas, a terrorist organization outlawed in the European Union, the US and Canada and nowadays part of the Palestinian executive.
The collection of signatures is being updated daily and they will be delivered to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon before the opening of the next General Assembly session.
Text of the open letter and signatories
“For resumption of negotiations, against unilateralism”
We, members of the Italian Parliament, strongly reaffirm our commitment to a peaceful and negotiated resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the principle of two states for two peoples living side by side in peace and security. Indeed, a premature, unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood would not only undermine rather than resolve the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, but would constitute a standing affront to the integrity of the United Nations, international agreements, and international law.
We believe that unilateralism will violate international legality and will harm the value of treaties among people.
As U.S. President Barack Obama put it in his speech of 19 May 2011 at the U. State Department, a just and lasting peace is possible only through a negotiated approach that involves mutual concessions. "Symbolic actions to isolate Israel at the United Nations in September won't create an independent state” stated the President, a position reaffirmed in the communiqué of the G8 of 27 May 2011.
A similar position was also taken by the President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek. During a joint press conference with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on 15 June 2011 in Ramallah, Mr. Buzek declared that the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state would be "dangerous". Moreover, these uniform American and European declarations opposing UN recognition of unilateral Palestinian statehood, while calling for direct negotiations between the parties, are anchored in a series of principles - and related precedents - including:
• First, it would undermine all accepted international frameworks for peace such as UN Security Council resolutions 242, 338, and 1850; the Roadmap for Peace; and various Quartet statements all of which call for a mutually negotiated and agreed upon resolution of the conflict while rejecting unilateralism. As the Quartet put it in February 2011 "... unilateral actions by either party cannot prejudge the outcome of negotiations and will not be recognized by the international community.”
• Second, it would violate existing Israeli-Palestinian bilateral agreements, most notably the Oslo II Agreements which state that “Neither side shall initiate or take any step that will change the status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip pending the outcome of the Permanent Status negotiations" (Article 31).
• Third, while the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement was signed by Israel and the PLO, it was witnessed by the UN together with the EU, the Russian Federation, the US, (i.e. the Quartet) and Egypt and Norway. It would be highly inappropriate, therefore, for such witnesses to now authorize a UN measure that would effectively violate this agreement while undermining major resolutions of the UN Security Council and the Quartet themselves.
• Fourth, it would unravel the institutionalized legal and administrative framework that underpins existing Israeli-Palestinian relations, which include bilateral arrangements in over forty spheres of civilian activity and which serve as a basis for economic, legal, and security cooperation and might well precipitate new and violent confrontations.
• Fifth, if such UN unilateral recognition were to take place while Hamas is the ongoing authority in Gaza, in partnership with Fatah, it would effectively constitute recognition of Hamas – a terrorist organization outlawed in Canada, the US, and European countries – while Hamas continues to reject the basic requirements of the international community such as recognizing Israel’s right to exist, forswearing terrorism and accepting previous international agreements.
Accordingly, we ask that you reaffirm the commitment of Italy to a negotiated solution to the conflict and to oppose the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian State. Only an immediate return to negotiations based on the principle of mutual recognition will ensure the establishment of a just and lasting peace.
PROMOTERS:
BOLDI Rossana (Lega Nord), NIRENSTEIN Fiamma (Pdl), PIANETTA Enrico (Pdl), VERNETTI Gianni (Api)
SIGNATORIES
Italian Chamber of Deputies
ADERENTI Irene – Lega Nord; ADORNATO Ferdinando – Udc; ARACU Sabatino –Pdl; BERNARDINI Rita, PD/Radicali; BERNARDO Maurizio – Pdl; BERTOLIN Isabella – Pdl; BIANCOFIORE Michaela – Pdl; BOCCHINO Italo – Fli; BOCCIARDO Mariella – Pdl; BONCIANI Alessio - Pdl; BONIVER Margherita – Pdl; CALDERISI Giuseppe – Pdl; CARFAGNA Mara – Pdl; CASINI Perferdinando – Udc; CASTIELLO Giuseppina – Pdl; CAZZOLA Giuliano – Pdl; CERONI Remigio – Pdl; CICCIOLI Carlo – Pdl; CORSINI Paolo - Pd; CROSETTO Guido – Pdl; D’AMICO Claudio – Lega Nord; D’ANNA VINCENZO – Popolo e Territorio; D’ANTONA Olga – Pd; DELFINO Teresio – Udc; DELL’ELCE Giovanni – Pdl; DELLA VEDOVA Benedetto – Fli; DI BIAGIO Aldo – Fli; DI CATERINA Marcello – Pdl; DI CENTA Manuela – Pdl; DI VIRGIGLIO Domenico – Pdl; EPOSITO Stefano – Pd; FARINA Renato – Pdl; FAVA Giovanni – Lega Nord; FORMICHELLA Nicola – Pdl; FUCCI Benedetto – Pdl; GARASSANO Maurizio – Popolo e Territorio; GERMANA’ Antonio Salvatore – Pdl; GIRLANDA Rocco – Pdl; GOISIS Paola – Lega Nord; GOTTARDO Isidoro – Pdl; GRIMOLDI Paolo – Lega Nord; HOLZMANN Giorgio – Pdl; LA LOGGIA Enrico – Pdl; LAFFRANCO Piero – Pdl; LAINATI Giorgio – Pdl; LANDOLFI Mario – Pdl; LEHNER Giancarlo – Popolo e Territorio; LORENZIN Beatrice – Pdl; MAGGIOLI Marco – Lega Nord; MALGIERI Gennario – Pdl; MANCUSO Gianni – Pdl; MANTINI Pierluigi – Udc; MARINI Giulio – Pdl; MERLO Giorgio – Pd; NAPOLI Osvaldo – Pdl; NASTRI Gaetano – Pdl; NICOLUCCI Massimo –Pdl; NIRENSTIN Fiamma – Pdl; NUCARA Francesco – Pri; ORSINI Andrea – Popolo e Territorio; PAGANO Alessandro – Pdl; PANIZ Maurizio – Pdl; PETRENGA Giovanna – Pdl; PIANETTA Enrico – Pdl; PICCHI Guglielmo – Pdl; PIZZOLANTE Sergio – Pdl; POLLEDRI Massimo – Lega Nord; RAISI Enzo – Fli; RIVOLTA Erica – Lega Nord; ROCCELLA Eugenia – Pdl; SAVINO Elvira – Pdl; CAPAGNINI Umberto – Pdl; SISTO Francesco Paolo – Pdl; SPECIALE Roberto – Pdl; TERRANOVA Giacomo – Pdl; TORAZZI Alberto – Lega Nord; TORRISI Salvatore – Pdl; VENTUCCI Cosimo – Pdl; VERNETTI Gianni – Api; ZACCHERA Marco – Pdl
Italian Senate
ALLEGRINI Laura – Pdl; AMATO Paolo – Pdl; BALBONI – Alberto – Pdl; BALDASSARRI Mario – Fli; BALDINI Massimo – Pdl; BARBIERI Emerenzio – Pdl; BIANCONI Laura – Pdl; BODEGA Lorenzo – Lega Nord; BOLDI Rossana – Lega Nord; CAGNIN Luciano – Lega Nord; CALABRO’ Raffaele – Pdl; CARRARA Valrio – Io Sud; CARUSO Antonio – Pdl; CASELLI Esteban Juan – Pdl; CASOLI Francesco – Pdl; CASTELLI Roberto – Lega Nord; COMPAGNA Luigi – Pdl; COSTA Rosario Giorgio – Pdl; CURSI Cesare – Pdl; D’ALI’ Giampiero – Udc; DE FEO Diana – Pdl; DELOGU Mariano – Pdl; DIGILIO Egidio – III polo; DIVINA Sergio – Lega Nord; ESPSOSITO Giuseppe – Pdl; FLERES Salvo – Coesione Nazionale Forza del Sud; FLUTTERO Andrea – Pdl; FOSSON Antonio – Udc; GALLONE Maria Alessandra – Pdl; GARAVAGLIA Massimo – Lega Nord; GASPARRI Maurizio – Pdl; GERMONTANI Mario Ida – III polo; LATRONICO Cosimo – Pdl; LEONI Giuseppe – Lega Nord; MALAN Lucio – Pdl; MARITATI Alberto – Pd; MASSIDDA Piergiorgio – Pdl; MONTI Cesarino – Lega Nord; MORRA Carmelo – Pdl; MURA Roberto – Lega Nord; NESSA Pasquale – Pdl; OLIVA Vincenzo – gruppo misto; PALMIZIO Elio Massimo – Pdl; PARAVIA Antonio – Pdl; PICCHETTO FRATIN Gilberto – Pdl; PICCIONI Lorenzo – Pdl; PINZGER Manfred – Udc; PISCITELLI Salvatore – Io Sud; PISTORIO Giovanni – gruppo misto; PITTONI Mario – Lega Nord; POSSA Guido – Pdl; QUAGLIARIELLO Gaetano – Pdl; RAMPONI Luigi – Pdl; RIZZI Fabio – Pdl; RIZZOTTI Maria – Pdl; SACCOMANNO Michele – Pdl; SALTAMARTINI Filippo – Pdl; SANTINI Giacomo – Pdl; SCARABOSIO Aldo – Pdl; SCARPA BONAZZA Aldo - Pdl; SERAFINI Gianmarco – Pdl; SPEZIALI Vincenzo – Pdl; STIFFONI Piergiorgio – Lega Nord; THALER AUSSERHOFER Helga – Udc; TOMASSINI Antonio – Pdl; VACCARI Gianvittore – III polo; VALDITARA Giuseppe – Pdl; ZANETTA Valter – Pdl; ZANOLETTI Tomaso – Pdl
