by InTrieste
Italy intends to join a new Washington-led diplomatic initiative on the Middle East as an observer rather than a full member, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Saturday, citing constitutional constraints.
Speaking in Addis Ababa during an African Union summit, Ms. Meloni said Rome had been invited to participate in the so-called Board of Peace, an initiative promoted by President Donald Trump, and was likely to accept a limited role. She described observer status as a way to ensure an Italian and European presence in efforts to stabilize the Middle East while remaining consistent with Italy’s Constitution.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Italy was willing to attend a Feb. 19 meeting in Washington, where officials are expected to discuss Gaza’s reconstruction and security arrangements following the Israel-Hamas war.
Italian officials say full membership would conflict with Article 11 of the Constitution, which permits participation only in international bodies that operate on equal terms among nations. The board’s charter concentrates authority in Mr. Trump as permanent chairman, a structure Rome considers incompatible with that requirement.
Observer status would allow Italy to take part in discussions without legal obligations or financial commitments tied to membership.
The move has drawn criticism from opposition leaders, including Elly Schlein of the Democratic Party, who warned it could distance Italy from broader European diplomacy.
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, also cautioned that any postwar plan for Gaza must prioritize the territory’s civilian population.
For Ms. Meloni’s government, the observer role represents a compromise: maintaining influence in a major U.S. initiative while avoiding legal and political risks at home.
