Abdul Karim al-Zubeidi, APLA President: Palestinian municipalities are in Europe to demand recognition of the State of Palestine and prove that decentralized cooperation is a political tool that strengthens resilience and defends justice.
Stefania Proietti, President of the Umbria Region: The Regional Council has adopted a resolution recognizing the State of Palestine and the Italian government must bear its responsibility and take the same step.
Vittoria Ferdinandi, Mayor of Perugia: The war on Palestine must stop immediately. We have raised the Palestinian flag as an affirmation of our commitment to justice and solidarity.
Stefano Lo Russo, Mayor of Turin: The City Council has made an official decision to recognize the State of Palestine and we will announce it soon as a political commitment.
Federico Gori, President of the Association of Italian Municipalities in Umbria (ANCI Umbria): The meeting with the APLA delegation is a clear declaration of commitment to expanding cooperation to be a national Italian commitment, linking Italian and Palestinian municipalities in a partnership based on solidarity and shared responsibility for the future.
The Association of Palestinian Local Authorities (APLA) concluded an official visit to Italy, in partnership with FELCOS Umbria, the Union of Municipalities of Trasimeno, and several Italian institutions. As part of the Local Authorities Network for Sustainable Development (LAND) project, the visit was an advanced milestone towards strengthening the international presence of Palestinian local government units (LGUs) and reaffirming their role as key actors in decentralized cooperation. It placed the question of Palestine at the heart of municipal discussions in Europe through a series of meetings and forums, highlighting Palestinian municipalities’ resilience and determination to fulfill their roles despite all challenges.
The Palestinian delegation included Abdul Karim al-Zubeidi, APLA President and Mayor of Salfit; Abdallah Anati, APLA Executive Director; Husam Shakhshir, Mayor of Nablus; Mahmoud Barham, Mayor of Beita; Abdul Karim Sider, Mayor of Jericho; and Ghassan Qabaha, Mayor of Barta’a.
Throughout the meetings and sessions held during the visit, Al-Zubeidi stressed that Palestinian LGUs were engaged in a daily struggle to defend their existence and serve their communities. He noted that LGU presence in Italy and Europe entailed a clear political dimension, namely, to demand recognition of the State of Palestine as an urgent requirement and position municipalities as active partners in the global path toward development and justice. Al-Zubeidi emphasized that linking decentralized cooperation to the question of Palestine was an act of diplomatic resistance that would urge European cities to shoulder their historical responsibility for defending justice and peoples’ rights.
The visit commenced at the Municipality of Passignano sul Trasimeno with the participation of the Mayors of partner LGUs in the LAND project. A review covered the project’s outcomes, including practical exercises in environmental management, tree planting, and support for youth and women-led entrepreneurial initiatives. This demonstrates that local development in Palestine is an act of day-to-day resilience, which consolidates Palestinians’ presence on their land and supports LGU role despite policies of the Israeli occupying authorities. The delegation also visited Magione to view experiences of Trasimeno Servizi Ambientali (TSA) SPA, an environmental services company.
The visit was followed by an official meeting in the Umbria Region, during which the President of the Region informed the Palestinian delegation that the Regional Council had adopted a decision recognizing the State of Palestine and called on the Italian government to officially take a similar step. He affirmed that recognizing the Palestinians’ right to their independent state would reflect a political and moral commitment that cannot be postponed. Cooperation with Palestinian municipalities will continue and expand as a strategic choice that translates solidarity into concrete policies.
In the city of Perugia, the Local Authorities Forum at the Pavone Theater was a central component of the visit program. In a meeting with dozens of Italian and European municipalities, the Palestinian delegation confirmed that recognition of the State of Palestine and safeguarding rights of the Palestinian people and institutions were an essential entry-point to any just peace. Vittoria Ferdinandi, Mayor of Perugia, highlighted that the war on Palestine, including suffering and destruction, should stop immediately, noting that the responsibility of local leaders would not be limited to symbolic positions. This obliges them to launch concrete initiatives that open broader spaces for dialogue, solidarity, and action with a view to strengthening the role of municipalities as the first line of defense for the values of justice and giving local communities a voice capable of breaking the silence of governments.
A meeting was also held with the National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI), ANCI Umbria, and FELCOS Umbria to establish actionable grounds for expanding twinning programs and developing sustainable cooperation tools to ensure that these partnerships evolve into a long-term institutional track.
The delegation continued its visit at the School of Public Administration in Villa Umbria, where a detailed session was dedicated to discussing mechanisms for developing administrative training and institutional capacity building as a cornerstone for strengthening functions of Palestinian municipalities and ensuring continued service provision in spite challenges. Discussions also covered support for establishing an APLA center of excellence to serve as a national hub for training and knowledge exchange. In Foligno, the delegation met with FELCOS in an extensive session to evaluate the project’s outcomes. In this meeting, an agreement was made on new initiatives to bolster experience and open broader prospects for cooperation.
In Turin, the Mayor informed the Palestinian delegation that the City Council had made an official decision to recognize the State of Palestine. To be announced soon, this decisive step affirms Italian cities’ clear stance in support of Palestinian rights. During the meeting, the parties also discussed developing a cooperation and understanding agreement between APLA and ANCI to consolidate institutional cooperation at the national level.
On the sidelines of the visit, the Palestinian delegation held meetings with Italian parliamentarians, members of political parties, and community activists in the Umbria Region. These emphasized the humanitarian dimension of the question of Palestine as one of a nation suffering from siege and deprivation and deserves genuine solidarity that transforms suffering into a force for advocating justice.
