"The boarding operations are still underway, and we are clearly monitoring them minute by minute. The attorneys of some of the people on board were also contacted by the Foreign Ministry's crisis unit last night. Undoubtedly, we will make every effort to ensure that these individuals are returned to Italy as soon as possible. Beyond that, I continue to believe that none of this would serve the Palestinian people; yet, I am convinced that it will cause enormous inconvenience to the Italian people". These were Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's statements at a news conference on the sidelines of the VII Summit of the European Political Community. “The same Italian people", she added, “who only yesterday were thanked by the Palestinians for the work we are doing. I recall, for example, that yesterday we were the first country to open a corridor for researchers. I recall that we are the non-Muslim nation that has evacuated the greatest number of people from their homes to be treated in our hospitals, and we are one of the first countries in the world for delivery of aid. All of this has been accomplished with the willingness and resources of the Italian people, who, I fear, will endure different inconveniences in the coming days over an issue that appears to me to have little to do with the Palestinian situation and much to do with Italian matters". From the trade unions, “I would have expected that at least on an issue they deemed so important, they would not have called a general strike on Friday, because long weekends and revolution don’t go together. I'm also disappointed that, when we requested a combined vote on a motion supporting the peace plan for the Middle East conflict, the opposition, or the majority of it, chose another option. I don't understand this because I recall that this proposal was endorsed by European countries, Arab countries, and the Palestinian National Authority. So, it seems only the Italian left remains, evidently holding more radical positions".