Italy's Parliament Recognizes the Independent State of Palestine

On Friday, March 8, the Italian Parliament recognized the independent state of Palestine and urged the Italian government to implement this resolution. The request, presented by the Democratic Party of Italy, received 300 votes in favor, while only 45 representatives opposed it. The few opponents of this proposal believed that it should be conditional on the resumption of political dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis. Despite the broad support from members of the Italian Parliament, this resolution is not binding for changing the policies of the Italian government. Thus, the Italian Parliament joined several other European parliaments that have recognized the independent state of Palestine in recent months. The recognition process began with Sweden and has been supported by parliaments in the UK, France, Spain, and Ireland, either by majority or consensus. The difference with Sweden is that the Stockholm government has also accepted it, while in other European countries, parliamentary resolutions have not changed government policies. The Democratic Party of Italy, which led the approval of the recognition of the independent state of Palestine on Friday, is under the leadership of Matteo Renzi, the country's Prime Minister, but it seems that the Italian government is still unwilling to change its policy towards Palestine. Although the European Parliament has also supported the recognition of the Palestinian state, Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, stated that the independence of Palestine should be the outcome of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Meanwhile, while the Israeli government expressed dissatisfaction with the Italian Parliament's resolution, Palestinians welcomed it and praised the Italian Parliament. The Palestinian Authority, in its statement of gratitude, called the Italian Parliament's action a 'brave step' and urged Mr. Renzi's government to implement this resolution. A long time has passed since the last time Israeli-Palestinian representatives negotiated with each other, and Palestinians say their patience has run out after 22 years of waiting since the 1993 political agreement for the independence of Palestine. In recent months, the Palestinian Authority has taken several steps to unilaterally join international charters in UN-affiliated organizations. It is set to officially join the International Criminal Court on April 1. In this context, Palestinians presented a draft resolution for peace with Israel. Palestinian officials stated they would put the draft resolution to a vote again. Obama stated that the Palestinians' joining the ICC is not constructive, while the White House declared that new Israeli construction in disputed territories is illegal.