The call of the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella to Flottiglia Pro Gaza is not a gesture of simple institutional prudence. It is a political and moral act, which brings with it the weight of a warning: the value of human life cannot be sacrificed on the altar of media visibility, political exploitation or symbolic testimony. “Do not put your safety at risk,” the head of state has warned, remembering that the initiative – already precious, courageous and significant in itself – cannot, must not be transformed into an adventure without return. There is an unresolved knot that makes this story delicate and risky: the flotilla was born with an ideal and composite vocation, animated by activists (of numerous nationalities), associations, believers and lay people who intend to break the siege of Gaza with a strong gesture. There is a group of boats directed towards Gaza, driven by a wind that is not only that of the sea, but that of indignation. On board there are men and women convinced that humanity cannot be watching. But geopolitical reality is much harder than generosity dreams. Because the flottilla runs enormous risks. This is where Sergio Mattarella intervenes. With his calm, but stopped, he said: “Don’t put your safety at risk.”
Not a reproach, if anything a paternal embrace. Like when parents let their children go to their battles, but remember that life comes first. The knot is simple and together terrible: in Gaza, devastated by the bombs that have claimed tens of thousands of innocent victims, it does not dock. Not today, not so. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, a man of dialogue who knows the flavor of the impossible negotiations, also reiterated. Destroyed ports, militarized sea, war that swallows everything. “Aids must really come,” he recalled. It is not enough to wave a flag in front of the coast: it is necessary to find a road that leads medicines and food to the hands of children and families. The road is called Cyprus, and passes from the Latin patriarchy of Jerusalem, ready to take charge of the distribution. Meanwhile, the government has sent a war ship to escort the flotilla, however specifying that it will not be able to do anything once you enter the Israeli waters.
Translated: Italy accompanies, but cannot protect to the end. And then here we are at the point. Flottiglia is made up of many souls: those who really want to help, those who dream of a symbolic gesture, those who seek a media clash to shake their consciences. But the difference is thin: one account is concrete solidarity, another is sterile heroism. Mattarella and Zuppi indicated a clear path: transforming courage into real help, not in an adventure that risks ending up in black chronicles. It is not a question of turning off the ideals, but to make them useful. Because a load of food that never reaches Gaza is not solidarity, it is frustration. The flotilla is located in front of a crossroads: continue with responsibility, delivering aid through safe channels, or stubborn to look for the clash, transforming a humanitarian company into a political arm arm. For now it seems to have opted for the second route. The final question, inevitable, remains only one: but is it worth it?
