LEVANT FAIR – An appeal from UCEI: Boycott does not help anybody

Israel will not participate in the 2025 Levant Fair, a large annual international trade fair held in Bari, Apulia, from September 13 to 21. The management decided to exclude the Jewish state after a request from Bari’s mayor, Vito Leccese, and in accordance with the Apulia Region’s decision to suspend relations with Israeli authorities in May, in solidarity with the Palestinian people. UCEI president Noemi Di Segni addressed the president of the Exhibition Authority, asking him to reconsider his decision. “One can commit to supporting Palestinian civilians through practical support actions, as many institutions and countries—including Italy and Israel—are doing instead of taking initiatives meant exclusively to stir emotions and ultimately support those promoting propaganda and hatred campaigns.” Boycotting Israel will not help the children of Gaza recoup the childhoods and dreams they lost after October 7, just like Israeli children. It will not help a new Palestinian ruling class emerge—a class of engineers and exporters capable of investing and seeing beyond the current, Hamas-dominated economy.

“In the short term, this decision will harm Apulia by depriving the territory of an entity that has operated in the region for years, promoting development and innovative technologies, particularly in agriculture, water treatment, tourism, and research.”

“This decision will affect Israeli companies in kibbutzim and cities that were attacked on October 7. These companies firmly believed in coexistence with Palestinians and had developed models for development, as well as the transfer of knowledge and technology with them. These companies consider the relationships they have with twin cities and regions in similar climatic areas in Italy and Gaza. These relationships could help support the Palestinian population in the ‘day after’ by facilitating reconstruction and recovery efforts.”

So why not invite these companies, universities, and other Israeli entities capable of promoting good in Gaza?

If a moral filter excludes entire countries and all their companies, then we would expect a very long list of countries from different continents whose politics are far from any concept of humanity and democracy. There is no evidence that this important fair has adopted such a political line, even towards countries involved in bloody wars and the persecution of their own citizens.”