As hundreds of heads of state convene in New York City throughout the week for the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Antonio Tajani, Italy’s deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs, emphasized support for Israel in its ongoing war against Hamas at an event held Sunday evening on the sidelines of UNGA.
Speaking at the invitation-only event hosted by the European Leadership Network (ELNET), Tajani told the approximately 70 attendees — prominent business and philanthropic leaders in both the Jewish and Italian communities — that there “is a link” between the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine. “The names of the links are Iran and Russia. This is a dangerous situation,” he said, noting that the world is divided into a battle between “democracies” versus “autocracies.”
Tajani condemned Spain’s formal recognition earlier this year of a Palestinian state. “I am against [it] … Palestine as a state doesn’t exist,” Tajani said. “It is the West Bank and Gaza [and] Gaza is under terrorist control.”
The Italy-Israel alliance event was held at the Upper East Side home of Ari Ackerman, a co-owner of the Miami Marlins. Guests were offered a selection of kosher Chianti wines and a variety of hors d’oeuvres, including potato latkes and spicy salmon balls. Attendees included William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations; Galit Levi, Israeli fashion designer; Mariangela Zappia, Italy’s ambassador to the U.S. and Maurizio Massari, permanent representative of Italy to the U.N.
ELNET is a non-profit founded in 2007 dedicated to strengthening relations between Europe and Israel, with offices in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom and Israel. The reception came as the group attempts to expand its presence in New York, having recently formed a local advisory board, of which Laurent Morali, president of Kushner Companies, will chair.
Jay Haberman, ELNET-US chief development officer, told Jewish Insider that as a result of Sunday’s event, “ELNET positions itself to pierce through New York’s vast pro-Israel community.”
Haberman, a former AIPAC veteran for two decades, said that he was “not the least surprised that many people in New York have yet to hear of ELNET.”
“That being said,” he continued, “It’s an unrivaled opportunity to significantly impact the future security of Israel at a time when the Jewish state needs to rely on countries like Italy for military and economic partnership.”