ROME, December 28, 2025 (WAFA) - Fatah today condemned what it described as “misleading claims” circulated in Italian media regarding the presentation of Mohammad Hanoon as the “President of the Palestinians in Italy,” stressing that this designation is “false and has no basis in fact,” and that the individual in question “holds no national or legal representative capacity and speaks only for himself.”

In a statement, the movement said it is following “with utmost seriousness and national responsibility” what has been raised in the media based on official Italian sources, emphasizing that “dragging the name of Palestine into such matters, or exploiting the suffering of its people to raise funds or advance factional agendas—foremost among them serving Hamas—constitutes a grave abuse of the Palestinian cause and exposes the Palestinian community to legal and political risks.”

Fatah quoted its spokesperson, Jamal Nazzal, as saying that “the case before the Italian authorities is not an isolated incident, but a dangerous example of attempts to hijack the Palestinian cause and turn it into an instrument of political and financial extortion,” affirming the movement’s “full confidence in the independent Italian judiciary and in state institutions operating under the rule of law.”

Nazzal stressed that the movement “rejects any activity that violates Italian or European laws,” considering that “respect for the laws of host countries is a national and moral duty, and any breach of them directly harms the Palestinian community and its reputation.”

Fatah called on members of the Palestinian and Arab communities in Italy to “adhere to official and credible channels, and to boycott anyone who falsely claims representative status or exploits emotional rhetoric to achieve personal or factional gains,” underscoring that “support for the Palestinian people must be conducted exclusively through national institutions known for their integrity and transparency, and in full compliance with applicable laws.”

Concluding, Nazzal said that “Fatah will continue to stand firmly against the exploitation of the name of Palestine or the distortion of its people’s struggle, and will remain a defender of national legitimacy and the dignity of the Palestinian community, and of a just cause pursued through clean means that command international respect.”

T.R.