The Italian State will not pay for the return ticket of compatriots on board the Flotilla arrested (and then released) by the Israeli army. This was announced by the Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, on the sidelines of the Labor Festival which kicked off today at the ‘La Nuvola’ conference center in Rome.
The activists, subjected to violence and abuse during their detention, recently took off from Eilat airport on three charter flights headed to Türkiye. From there they will embark for their respective countries. The Italian government had very harsh words towards Israel for the way in which the people were stopped. Tajani asked the European Union to “sanction Israeli Security Minister Ben-Gvir”, while reiterating that the state will not pay for the return journey.
Italy will not pay for the return flight for activists: “It was not a military mission”
“It was not a military mission – explained the minister -, they were citizens who had voluntarily decided to organize this trip and it is right that they should be assisted because they are Italian citizens. But the payment of the ticket does not seem to me to be part of this”.
“The treatment they underwent is one thing” the deputy prime minister then pointed out, “the return which would have taken place on their behalf anyway, is another. I don’t think the most serious problem was that of the plane ticket and I don’t even believe that Israel charged for the ticket…”.
“There is no need to pay”, reiterated Tajani, “we assisted. They were there on their own mission and therefore will return on their own. The problem is how they were treated there. They never requested a return ticket. They went and would have returned anyway, it is not the State that has to pay for the tickets. We have assisted them in all possible and imaginable ways, making our Consulate available. There are many consulates in countries such as Turkey, Greece, Cyprus which have mobilized in recent days to assist people who were there voluntarily.”