PD, Fiano: ‘Milan Democrats oppose twinning with Tel Aviv; it’s impossible to remain in a party like this’

Milan, 10 April (LaPresse) – “The Milan Democratic Party – I do not know whether following a lengthy discussion within the provincial executive, of which I am no longer a member since I am no longer an MP, or whether by a decision taken solely by the leadership – is once again calling for the suspension of Milan’s twinning with Tel Aviv. I see that Pierfrancesco Majorino and, of course, the metropolitan secretary Capelli also support this request, which was brought before the City Council by group leader Beatrice Uguccioni. Well done, congratulations, you’ve made peace with yourselves that way. It is truly difficult, if not impossible, to remain in a party like this.” So wrote the former Democratic Party and Left for Israel MP Emanuele Fiano in a long social media post, commenting on the Milanese PD’s request to the City Council to suspend the twinning with Tel Aviv. “You are severing ties with the whole of Tel Aviv,” continues Fiano, “including those who have always worked tirelessly for peace and against war,” adds Fiano, recalling the protests in Israel against the war and Prime Minister Netanyahu. “It is a brilliant idea, a masterstroke of high politics, extremely useful for peace. It is a classic example of Manichean simplification: on one side there is only evil, on the other, good. And we must sever all ties with the former. How could we not have thought of this before? It seems clear to me that this is a great contribution to peace, on the very day that 600 Israeli academics have signed a statement denouncing the violence of the settlers who want to drive the Palestinians out of the West Bank in defiance of any national or international law, or indeed any principle of humanity. ‘When I first started attending meetings of the Milanese PCI and later the PDS,’ concludes Fiano, ‘they organised meetings with the Israeli and Palestinian left, and even trips to Israel and Palestine to understand, to learn, to study (a word now fallen into disuse) and to become active participants in the dialogue. I’ve never seen anything like that in today’s party. I’ve never seen them ask for input from those who have been involved in this terrible conflict for decades, never seen them open up a discussion.’