Ramallah, 11-10-07: "A man with the rare capacity to promote dialogue and understanding and to act as a bridge between peoples" was how Italian Consul General Nicola Manduzio described Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi MP yesterday, as he awarded him the Ufficiale dell‘Ordine della Stella della Solidarieta‘ Italiana on behalf of the President of the Italian Republic at a ceremony held in Ramallah.
The presentation had been due to take place in Jerusalem on 7 December, but Dr. Barghouthi was denied permission to travel to the city by the Israeli authorities.
Dr. Barghouthi expressed his deep gratitude and appreciation to President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napoletano, to the President of the Council of Ministers, Mr. Romano Prodi, to Italian Foreign Minister, Mr. Massimo D‘Alema, and to the Italian government as a whole, as well as to Mr. Maduzio himself, whom he described as "a friend, a supporter, and a man of solidarity." Dr. Barghouthi specifically thanked Mr. Maduzio for his role saving the lives of tens of Palestinian children by facilitating their transfer to Italy to receive life-saving treatment.
He dedicated the medal to all Palestinians "in this dark period of internal divisions, occupation and separation," particularly to the people of Gaza and Jerusalem. "They are in our hearts even if we cannot reach them. We will not give up our struggle to be united and free," he said.
Dr. Barghouthi recalled Italy‘s win in the 1982 World Cup at the height of Israel‘s invasion in Lebanon, when the head of the Italian soccer federation dedicated the victory to the Palestinian people as a mark of solidarity with their suffering. He added that no Palestinian would ever forget this gesture of solidarity, and said that the medal represented a further "strong show of support from the Italian people for the freedom, democracy, justice, equality, dignity and peace that we aspire to."
The Ufficiale dell’Ordine della Stella della Solidarieta‘ Italiana was instituted by Decree No. 703 of 27 January 1947 to recognise those who have made a special contribution to the reconstruction of post-World War Italy. The medal is awarded by a committee presided over by the President of the Republic, governed by a board of four members, and chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.