Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni delivered a wide-ranging speech before the United Nations General Assembly, addressing major global issues from ongoing conflicts to the need for a profound reform of the UN system.
On the Middle East, she condemned the brutality of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, which she described as having triggered an initially legitimate Israeli response. However, she stressed that Israel’s reaction went beyond the principle of proportionality, violating humanitarian norms and causing an unacceptable toll among civilians. For this reason, Meloni announced that Italy will support some of the EU’s proposed sanctions against Israel.
She also urged Israel to “step out of the trap of war” in Gaza and not to block the establishment of a Palestinian state, reaffirming Italy’s support for the New York Declaration on the two-state solution.
Turning to Ukraine, Meloni accused Moscow of having “inflicted a deep wound on international law” and called for stronger multilateral engagement and a UN capable of responding effectively to global crises.