My father used to say that the Italians were the only country in the world that fought on both sides in World War II. Well, they’ve just admitted that they’re also not beneath making deals with terrorists to keep Italy safe from harm—at the expense of the rest of the world, but mostly, of course, Jews.
It’s official: The Italian government allowed Palestinian terror organizations to act freely within its territory in exchange for their commitment to refrain from targeting national and international Italian sites.
In an article written by former Italian President Francesco Cossiga for the national newspaper Corriere della Sera he confesses, “I always knew, though not by official documents and information kept from me, about the existence of an agreement based on ‘don’t harm me and I won’t harm you’ between the Italian Republic and organizations such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the PLO.”
According to Cossiga the agreement was approved and directed by former Italian Premier Aldo Moro, who “was awarded an extraordinary capability for the direction of Italian intelligence agencies and special forces after he received approval for the deal.”
It gets worse.
“According to the deal, the Palestinian organizations could establish bases in Italy, enjoyed freedom of movement when entering and exiting the country, and could move around without undergoing mandatory security checks because they were protected by the secret service,” Cossiga explained.
“During my time as interior minister I learned that PLO people were holding heavy artillery in their homes and protected by diplomatic immunity as representatives of the Arab League. I was told not to worry and I managed to convince them to lay down their heavy artillery and make do with light weaponry.”
This makes the Italians complicit in PLO terror attacks throughout the years, and explains utterly how Abu Abbas, the mastermind of the Achille Lauro hijacking, managed to slip away after his plane was forced down by US fighters.
The Italian prime minister at the time, Bettino Craxi, persuaded President Ronald Reagan to hand the terrorists over to Italy on the ground that the crimes had been committed on an Italian ship.
The U.S. administration was deeply angered when the Craxi government immediately released the mastermind of the Achille Lauro operation, Abu Abbas, who was later convicted in absentia. The Craxi cabinet fell in the ensuing uproar.
And this also explains how three of the four convicted terrorists just walked away from their prison terms.
Italy’s decision to furlough a Palestinian terrorist who murdered an elderly American passenger aboard the hijacked Achille Lauro cruise liner threatened to chill Italian-U.S. relations Tuesday after the man failed to return from a leave given “for good conduct.”
[…] Privately, U.S. officials appeared to be flabbergasted and trying to figure out what to say and how to say it after learning of his flight — particularly since Mr. Molky was the third of four convicted Achille Lauro terrorists to have walked out of Italian jails in such circumstances.
This was in 1996. I think it’s safe to say that the Italians were still abiding by the agreement they made with the murderers.
So. How do you say “Eff you” in Italian, hm? Because Italy, eff you for making deals with murderers to keep yourselves a tiny bit safer. But it didn’t work all that well now, did it?
But the agreement did not always run smoothly. On August 2, 1980 an explosion shook Bologna’s train station; 85 people were killed and 200 more were injured in the blast. Cossiga believes it is entirely possible that the explosion was due to a “work accident” and that explosive materials handled by the Palestinians were responsible for the incident.
The fable of the frog and the scorpion comes to mind. Only an idiot trusts the scorpion.
Meryl, it’s “fungulo”, and it can be accompanied by the appropriate gesture of holding the right upper arm forward, parallel to the floor, the forearm at a 90 deree angle, and making a fist. The palm of the left hand, simultaneously slaps down on the right bicep.
The meaning is quite clear when you see it done. :-D
With all due respect to your father, I think that history shows that the Italians share the fighting- on-both-sides in WWII dishonors with the French.
And the Soviets, now that I think about it (Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact anyone?).
For the record, the Italians were shape-shifters in WW I too, only then they crossed over from the winning side to the losing side.
Hugh, oh. I know that one. So that’s what it means? No wonder I thought that was what it meant. Someone taught it to me a while ago, and come to think of it, my Italian sister-in-law or someone taught me “fongool” (which is how I thought it was spelled).
Lynne: Yeah, well, the other thing that comes to mind is Ben Franklin’s “a little security” saying.