Italian President Sergio Mattarella issued stark warnings about the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, describing them as millstones on Europe’s future and condemning a perceived “stubbornness to kill indiscriminately” in Gaza. Speaking at the traditional ‘Ventaglio’ ceremony with parliamentary journalists, the President stated Russia’s ongoing “aggressive posture in Ukraine” gravely destabilizes Europe’s peace equilibrium and prospects, especially for its youth.
Mattarella highlighted that Baltic NATO and EU nations bordering Russia fear Moscow harbors further expansionist aims threatening their security, if not independence, following its invasion of Ukraine. His remarks came as Moscow’s foreign ministry listed him as a top “Russophobe”.
Turning to Gaza, Mattarella cited devastating examples: attacks killing medical personnel, children queueing for water, hungry civilians seeking food, and destroyed hospitals where malnourished infants perished. “In such a chain of events,” he declared, “it is difficult to see an involuntary repetition of errors and not discern a stubbornness to kill indiscriminately.” He referenced an emblematic case of a child, who lost his father and nine siblings in a bombing, now receiving care in Italy.
The President also condemned the bombing of Gaza’s Holy Family Parish, dismissing claims it was merely an error. Quoting Seneca and St. Augustine, he stated: “To err is human, to persist is diabolical.” Later that evening, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni echoed the urgency in a call with Israeli PM Netanyahu, reportedly insisting “on the immediate need to end hostilities, given the unsustainable and unjustifiable situation in Gaza.”
Mattarella warned against rising intolerance and simplistic slogans fueling dangerous prejudices, including antisemitism – referencing the assault on a French Jewish tourist near Milan. He concluded by linking commercial cooperation to peace and prosperity, cautioning that economic confrontation risks spawning “other, cruder and more dangerous, forms of opposition,” particularly relevant as the EU navigates contentious trade tariff negotiations.
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