Opposition parties launched scathing attacks in Italy’s Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday, condemning the government’s “double standards” on the Middle East conflict during a session overshadowed by Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini receiving an Israel-Italy award within parliament premises. Five Star Movement (M5S) floor leader Riccardo Ricciardi opened the debate by criticizing what he termed a “hypocritical letter condemning Israel after two years of genocide,” branding it even more cynical given Salvini’s acceptance of the award that same day. “For us, this transcends politics and dialectics; it’s human wretchedness,” Ricciardi declared.
Democratic Party (PD) lawmaker Arturo Scotto echoed the charge of hypocrisy: “A country dies of double standards. Today, that double standard entered the Chamber with the Deputy PM receiving the Italy-Israel prize. This is the place of law, and it has been violated.” Angelo Bonelli of the Greens and Left Alliance (AVS) called the ceremony “horrible” and “obscene,” stating: “Salvini has already shaken Netanyahu’s bloodstained hands. What more must happen?”
The first edition of the Italy-Israel Prize was awarded to Salvini in a parliamentary committee room. A network of Jerusalem-aligned associations honored him as “Israel’s best friend in Italy,” citing his “courageous, often disruptive pro-Israel positions, even in the most difficult times.” The League leader accepted “honored” yet slightly embarrassed, quipping “virtue stands in the middle” but acknowledging the award was “not convenient.” His remarks during the ceremony fueled the backlash; he asserted an Israel-Palestine ceasefire “could happen tomorrow morning with the return of hostages. The choice is solely Hamas’s,” adding it was “crazy” to equate a “democratic, peaceful reality” with a “terrorist entity” aiming to erase Israel.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, questioned on the matter, tersely replied: “I don’t have to comment on awards to Salvini,” reiterating the government’s official stance supporting an immediate cessation of hostilities and hostage release as endorsed by 27 other nations.
The prize was backed by the Milton Friedman Institute, the Union of Italy-Israel Associations, Maccabi World Union, Israel’s Defend & Security Forum, and the Alliance for Israel. Opposition figures decried it as an “obscenity” and a sign of “human misery.” Bonelli charged that “the courage attributed to Salvini is complicit silence with a state that kills children, destroys hospitals, and strikes people queuing for food and water.” Ricciardi demanded to know “with what face” the government could make such statements.
Criticism also targeted the award’s location in the Cenacolo Hall near Montecitorio. Later, the 79-member Palestine inter-parliamentary group sent a protest letter to Chamber President Lorenzo Fontana (League), calling it “particularly serious” that the event occurred in a Chamber room representing all Italians. The group, led by Five Star deputy Stefania Ascari, provocatively asked if Parliament would host an event awarding a “‘Russia-Italy’ prize with Moscow’s ambassador present,” condemning the award as “an insult to democratic conscience and fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.” Parliamentary officials clarified that the institution never oversees room management or endorses event content or guests.
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