Rome's Jews express anger at union strike over Israeli 'genocide'

By Angelo Amante

Rome's Jewish community expressed dismay on Friday after two unions called a nationwide strike to protest against Italy's "support for the genocidal Israeli government" amongst other complaints.

Friday's strike by the USB and Cobas unions has primarily hit public transport and is due to last 24 hours.

"Ours is a strike against the war economy and thus also against our government's support for the Israeli state," a spokesperson for the USB union told Reuters.

Along with a demand for higher wages and a shorter working week, a lengthy strike manifesto published online singled out Israel in the unions' opposition to Italy's "growing involvement in war theatres".

Victor Fadlun, president of the Jewish Community of Rome, accused the unions of stirring anti-Semitism.

"Dismay and bewilderment. There are no other words to describe what we feel," Fadlun said in a statement.

"We are faced with the emergence of hatred towards Israel that disregards any reasonable context, and that can have no other explanation than the urgency of expressing, even if it is misplaced, an anti-Semitism that has been simmering all along," he added.

Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 44,800 people since it began 14 months ago, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The war began after Hamas gunmen stormed into southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages back to Hamas-run Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.

Italy has remained firm in saying Israel had a right to defend itself, but has repeatedly called for a ceasefire and has urged Israel to limit civilian casualties.

Friday's strike had a limited impact on transport, with some, but not all metro lines shut in Rome and Milan, while bus and tram services were operating in most cities albeit with delays.