The PD says no to the anti-Semitism bill, but for pro-Palestine supporters it is still too close to Israel

Once the session in the Chamber of Deputies had ended, Arturo Scotto headed straight to San Lorenzo to present his book "Flotilla. In viaggio per Gaza" at the Falastin Festival, organised by the Association of Friends of the Palestinian Red Crescent. After four hours of debate, the PD group had decided to vote against the anti-Semitism bill, a position that Scotto had defended from the outset. In San Lorenzo, however, nothing was enough to spare him the criticism of those who still consider the PD too pro-Israel.

“There are many pro-Zionist members in the PD; do you realise that they are a disaster for the Democratic Party’s popularity and voter base?”, the presenter asked him. Scotto tried to steer the discussion back to the facts. “We must stick to the facts,” he replied, setting out the PD’s positions on Israel and Palestine. He highlighted the party’s support for the recognition of a Palestinian state, its call to suspend the EU–Israel agreement, the ban on trade with the settlements and the arms embargo. “This is the PD’s official position,” he insisted, urging people to “look at who the opponent is”, referring to the right.

Even that was not enough. “Abstaining from the vote on the anti-Semitism bill is unforgivable,” the presenter challenged him. Scotto was able to respond with the decision taken shortly before at the Chamber of Deputies: “We will vote against the bill; we decided that this evening.” The presenter, however, greeted this reassurance with a certain degree of scepticism: “I sincerely hope so, for your sake.”

In recent days, several figures from across the political spectrum had already taken to that stage: Laura Boldrini and Annalisa Corrado for the PD, Stefania Ascari and Dario Tamburrano for the M5S, and Ilaria Salis for AVS. The first day was dedicated to Marwan Barghouti, followed by talks on Gaza, a few DJ sets, many Palestinian guests and numerous chants against Israel. 

This is not exactly the ideal context for that other section of the left, which would have voted in favour of the anti-Semitism bill and which is now contesting the PD’s decision reached in the Chamber of Deputies, describing a possible vote against it as an “incomprehensible about-turn”. The association Sinistra per Israele has warned that this would inflict a “wound that would be difficult to heal” on many of its members. 

Fassino’s response was also sharp, as he emphasised the distinction between criticising Netanyahu and combating antisemitism, warning the PD of the risk of ambiguity on such a sensitive issue. However, the accusations levelled by the pro-Palestinian crowd in San Lorenzo are also ambiguous, albeit in the opposite sense. However, the accusations levelled by the pro-Palestinian crowd in San Lorenzo are also ambiguous, albeit in the opposite sense.