‘Peace’ and accusations of genocide in Milan

From 6 November to the present day, Palazzo Marino has been hosting the international conference “Milano Città per la Pace”, organised by the majority in the City Council. This initiative is inspired by the famous “Convegno mondiale dei sindaci per la pace” organised by Giorgio La Pira in 1955. There are various panels and a wide range of topics and guests for the discussions – from ‘Peace, the climate crisis and conflicts over resources’ to ‘Milan and religions for peace’, the ‘Open Day at places of worship’, ‘Building peace starting from the school classroom’ and, finally, ‘Europe, a continent of peace’. Many good intentions. It is regrettable that the initiative opened with a serious incident, which, unfortunately, speaks volumes about the prevailing mood in large sections of the Italian left, including many local councils. Among the speakers at the opening session was the mayor of Andria, Giovanna Bruno (PD), who, in her speech, referred repeatedly to “genocide” in Gaza, as reported by the Jewish community.

Chief Rabbi Alfonso Arbib, the president of the Milan Jewish Community, Walker Meghnagi, and the vice-president, Dalia Gubbay, walked out of the chamber in protest: “Taking an extreme and unilateral stance does not, in my view, help the cause of peace,” said Arbib, condemning a position that is “ostensibly pacifist” but which, in fact, fuels conflicts and leads, according to the community’s statement, to the “demonisation” of Israel, creating an atmosphere of hatred in the Middle East that, unfortunately, is also felt here”. Mayor Beppe Sala, expressing his regret, commented: “It is difficult to reconcile all sensibilities.” Sala has repeatedly endeavoured to tone down the most anti-Israeli sentiments within the Milanese left, such as the idea of severing the twinning arrangement with Tel Aviv, which has been advocated by various left-wing candidates seeking to succeed him at Palazzo Marino. But this has been the prevailing climate for some time. Travelling all the way from Andria for a meeting that is intended to distinguish between religious groups – to use a term that the Jewish community rightly considers offensive and false – is not exactly a great idea.