Italian PM Meloni: Hamas massacre was prompted by Russia’s war on Ukraine
Hamas’s massacre of Israelis on October 7 is a consequence of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told Milanbased newspaper Il Giornale in a Saturday interview.
Meloni, asked whether she feared tensions across the globe were leading to World War III, answered: “What I think is that if Russia had not invaded Ukraine, in all likelihood Hamas would not have launched such an attack against Israel.”
According to the Italian prime minister, “it was inevitable that such a serious violation of the international system based on law, moreover at the hands of a permanent member of the UN Security Council, would have cascading consequences on other areas... [like] the Middle East.
“If international legality is not reestablished in Ukraine, conflicts will continue to multiply,” Meloni said.
She also discussed the prospects of reaching a deal for a ceasefire and the release of 134 remaining hostages who were captured by Hamas terrorists and taken into the Gaza Strip on October 7.
“Without a prolonged ceasefire and a solution for the hostages, it is not possible to relaunch the political perspective of two peoples and two states,” Meloni declared.
She also argued that Israel’s increasing “isolation in Western public opinion” was the result of the Netanyahu government’s harsh reaction to the October 7 massacre.
“The brutal attack by Hamas, the massacre perpetrated against civilians, including children and the elderly, and the ferocity with which that massacre was carried out pushed Israel into such a harsh reaction that it led to isolation, both in the Middle East as well as in Western public opinions,” she said.
“For this reason, those who, like us, work on de-escalation do so above all in the interests of Israel and for an immediate end to the crisis,” Meloni said. “Finding a lasting solution to the issue is in everyone’s interest, both Israel and Palestine.”
The prime minister further said that Italy has “taken action” to reduce tensions along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, “in particular with regard to Hezbollah’s positions.”