Rome, Dec. 28 (LaPresse) – “Enough now! Until now, I have not wanted to comment on the arrests of some people suspected of having financed Hamas from Italy by collecting funds instead meant to support the Palestinian population because I have no connection with either the arrested individuals or the organizations they represent, so I had nothing to say. But since, in some media outlets and posts by right-wing parliamentarians, my name continues to be subtly, allusively, and falsely linked to the most well-known of the arrested, it is time to clarify.” This is what Laura Boldrini, President of the Chamber’s Permanent Committee on Human Rights Worldwide, stated.
“I met Mr. Mohammad Hannoun only once and for a few minutes,” the Pd deputy explained. “On May 12, 2022, Hannoun was in Rome for an event in memory of the Palestinian-American TV journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed in Jenin while doing her job during an Israeli army raid. On that occasion, he asked to meet me and other parliamentarians. The meeting was held privately in my office and lasted a few minutes, during which Hannoun, whom I did not know, spoke to me about the risks journalists face while working in Palestine. I replied that I had already planned an intervention in the Chamber on the case of Shireen Abu Akleh, which I indeed delivered a few days later. At the end of the meeting, Hannoun asked me for a photo, the one everyone knows, which he then posted on his social media. Since that moment, there has never been any further contact with Mr. Hannoun, neither in person, by phone, by email, nor in public meetings. None.”