Il Foglio’s exclusive report confirmed: an Italian will head Eubam Rafah

As reported by Il Foglio on 17 September, an Italian will lead the European Eubam mission at the Rafah crossing in the Gaza Strip. Today, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani sent his congratulations to Carabinieri Colonel Vittorio Stingo, whose appointment has thus become official. Stingo will take charge of the mission from today and will hold an important post: that of coordinating the only European and Western civilian and military mission in Gaza that is currently truly operational. The appointment of an Italian to head Eubam Rafah comes at a time when the United States has long been asking our government to send a contingent of several hundred Carabinieri to train the new Palestinian internal security force and – above all – to support it on the ground in the Gaza Strip. So far, our government has remained lukewarm towards this second proposal, for various reasons, predominantly of a legal nature. The appointment of a Carabinieri officer to EUBAM Rafah could be a first step towards greater Italian involvement in ensuring security in the Strip.