Condemn pro-Palestinian extremism, if you care about the Palestinian cause

To the Editor – I have just read ‘Pro-Palestinian rhetoric’ in today’s edition of Il Foglio (yesterday’s edition for readers, ed.). It is true that, in the debate on the pro-Palestinian movement, there is a temptation mirroring the very one we seek to denounce: to equate any solidarity with the Palestinians with a form of extremism, any criticism of Israel with an anti-Western reflex, and any demonstration with a symptom of ideological drift. Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, offers a useful counter-example: it supports Palestinian self-determination and, on a diplomatic level, also recognises Israel’s right to security (statement by President Prabowo at the UN in 2025). It is not a model without contradictions, nor is it a society immune to tensions, but it serves as a reminder that national and religious solidarity need not necessarily turn into an identity war. It is possible to be pro-Palestinian without being pro-Hamas, to denounce the occupation without indulging in anti-Semitism, and to demand justice for the Palestinians without turning the Palestinian cause into a pretext for settling scores with the West. The question, therefore, is not whether the Palestinian cause is legitimate, but who represents it and to what end. A free Palestine should not be the Trojan horse of an illiberal ideology, just as the condemnation of radicalism cannot become an excuse for ignoring the rights of a people. Coexistence does not require moral neutrality, but consistency in principles. And the simplest principle is also the most difficult: no freedom is credible if, in order to assert itself, it needs to deny that of others. My time in Indonesia has instilled in me the principle of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, ‘unity in diversity’ – that is, the idea that people of different cultures and religions can share the same society. It is no coincidence that the Istiqlal Mosque and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Jakarta are linked by the Tunnel of Fraternity.

Those who care about the pro-Palestinian cause should do everything in their power to condemn pro-Palestinian extremists. If, on the other hand, those who care about the pro-Palestinian cause choose to turn a blind eye to pro-Palestinian extremists, it means that even pro-Palestinians acting in good faith regard the export of the global Intifada as a tolerable means. To regard the Intifada as tolerable means not being shocked when the defence of Palestinian rights turns into a battle against the Jewish people.

To the Editor – I read with great emotion today's heartfelt appeals by Giovanni Bianconi and Lirio Abbate in support of Prefect Renato Cortese, “a man who has spent his life pursuing murderers, mafia members and fugitives”, as the deputy editor of Il Giornale so aptly recalls. Cortese is facing the hurdle in the Court of Cassation of a conviction on appeal that could result in a definitive prison sentence for the offence of unlawful detention, from which he had already been acquitted once in a judgement that the Supreme Court subsequently quashed. I am moved because it is heartening to see how the principle of due process is a belief that touches everyone sooner or later. It is heartening to read that those who denied this principle yesterday in the ‘Mafia Capitale’ case – when the defendants were scoundrels – are now recalling the principle of legality for a valiant servant of the state. She and I, however, believe that due process and the Constitution apply to everyone, and that when the right to a fair trial is denied to the outcasts, we all pay the price. My sincere best wishes to Renato Cortese, who must be acquitted like Stasi and the many victims of Gratteri, because once you’ve been acquitted, you can’t end up in prison. And it matters little whether you’re ‘the blind man’ or a police hero. The law and justice are the same for everyone.

To the editor – “The current President of the Senate led an unauthorised demonstration organised by Fuan, the youth wing of the Italian Social Movement. From within that unauthorised march, a hand grenade was thrown, striking a 22-year-old police officer in the chest and killing him.” In response to these statements by Michela Ponzani, a guest on Lilli Gruber’s programme, Ignazio La Russa has announced he is filing a defamation lawsuit. In the interests of fairness, I would like to draw Ponzani’s attention to a statement made by Massimo D’Alema on 21 July 1995 in Montecchio Emilia (Reggio Emilia), during a party organised by the satirical newspaper Cuore. From the stage, the future Prime Minister admitted: “I was part of the ’68 movement; I threw Molotov cocktails in Pisa when I was a student at the Normale.” Those were the times. Unfortunately, they are returning.