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A piercing sound of honking vehicles and dockworkers shouting “you are not welcome” greeted an Israeli-owned cargo vessel when it arrived in the Tuscan port city this week.

For two days, the striking dockworkers refused to back down, refusing to unload and reload the ship’s cargo in a display of defiant solidarity for the people of Gaza and the international aid convoy attempting to bring humanitarian assistance to Gaza. The protest was a triumph and the ship, headed to the US and Canada, departed.

Nationwide Port Protests Expand

From Genoa, Trieste and Ravenna in the northern region, to southern harbors in the southern area, in recent weeks dock laborers across Italy have succeeded in blocking ships suspected to be carrying weapons for the Israeli military, as opposition to the conflict in the Gaza Strip intensifies.

The workers’ resolve to block weapons and disrupt commerce has been a crucial component of the solidarity movement in the nation as pressure increases on Prime Minister Meloni’s conservative administration to adopt a firmer position against Israel.

“Israel is carrying out an systematic destruction of people in Gaza – by killing them, by starving them,” said a dockworker, one protester. “We must not stay silent. We have always been a port of welcome, not one of conflict. We will keep demonstrating until this war ends.”

National Walkout Increases Pressure

On Friday, many people demonstrated after Cgil called the second general strike in under 14 days, closing schools, disrupting transport and causing disruption on mass transit and in healthcare. There were also impromptu demonstrations on midweek after Israeli forces stopped the aid convoy and detained numerous participants, including the prominent campaigner Greta Thunberg.

The event in Livorno was the first time an Israeli ship transporting general merchandise had been blocked.

Popular Sentiment and Political Response

Recent surveys show significant support among the public – including a considerable portion of supporters of the governing alliance – for the recognition of a Palestinian state and in favor of the humanitarian convoy.

Meloni has spoken against Israel’s killing of Palestinians in recent months, casting it as a “excessive” response to Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attacks, and has opened up to Italy recognising a Palestinian state, though with conditions. But she continues trying to maintain the delicate balance between being one of the strongest supporters of Israel in the European Union and a friend of Middle Eastern countries, all the while aligning with the line of the American leader, the former president.

Still, she is mindful of voter sentiment, especially with the country in the throes of multiple local votes, and has attempted to exploit the protests and aid mission to attack her leftwing opponents.

Meloni has characterized the flotilla as “dangerous and irresponsible” and, despite the humanitarian mission involving hundreds of activists from different countries, she said it was only aimed at “causing difficulties” for her administration. She took a swipe at Friday’s general strike, claiming participants of undertaking “a long weekend disguised as a political uprising” while claiming the event was politically orchestrated and provided little help to the people of Gaza.

“The current administration can only survive with scapegoats,” stated a union leader, who leads the local branch of the major trade union. “There is also a significant inconsistency between what the Prime Minister says and what she implements,” he added. “She speaks of being a devoted nationalist, a Christian and a mother, but she has not taken any political or diplomatic action to stop the killing of women and children.”

Government Standing Despite Unrest

But despite the strong public sentiment reflected by the wave of pro-Palestinian protests, the ruling party remains ahead in surveys, at approximately thirty percent, and she has headed an unusually steady Italian government since coming to power in late 2022.

“On one hand, there is the majority of public opinion in supporting Palestinians which wants an cessation to the war,” explained Lorenzo Pregliasco, a founder of a polling firm. “But you don’t see the impact of this when it time to cast ballots.”

Pregliasco mentioned recent regional votes in the central area where the governing alliance secured a second mandate. The same outcome is anticipated in elections in other regions.

Pregliasco said there was “a real risk of the pro-Palestinian activism having an overly strong of a partisan association, which would distance people who are horrified with the war but who are not pro-Palestinian militants”.

Analyst Insights

A political scientist at New York’s Columbia University and the an Italian institution, said the reason why the consequences of the demonstrations were not being seen in elections was because barely half of the electorate participate in elections.

“And those who do, support conservative parties,” she said, noting that Meloni could easily use the protests to weaken rivals.

She said every spontaneous movement of the public was vulnerable to being penetrated by opposing groups, and suggested that this had been occurring in order to “discredit and suppress” the solidarity campaign.

Medical Community Join

A cardiologist in Rome, has attended several pro-Palestine protests in the Italian capital and marched in the rally near Piazza Vittorio on Friday.

“Recently, there was an initiative held in Italy’s hospitals during which we honored the many healthcare workers killed in Gaza while providing aid,” she stated. “It was a deeply emotional occasion and we will continue to mobilise. You might not see it in political polls yet, but I think this administration is starting to be deeply concerned of the people.”