36-year-old Manlio Di Stefano, who is the head of the Italian Five Star Movement's Foreign Affairs Committee, has raised a lot of controversy for publishing a comment on his Facebook page against the Italian vote at UNESCO in favor of Israel.

Last May, UNESCO passed a resolution (20 votes in favor, 10 abstentions and 23 abstentions) that questions Israel’s sovereignty over the entire city and not just on its eastern side. Italy has been among the few countries to vote against the resolution.

For Di Stefano, with this vote Italy "became a partner of the damage that Israel is causing to ancient monuments that UNESCO cannot protect because of the Israeli occupation and the blockade of Gaza that UNESCO has asked to remove.’’ Moreover Di Stefano writes that "Zionism is synonymous with racism".

In his comments, the parliamentarian, who declared that ''Islamist terrorism doesn't exist'' also published a list of Jewish journalists, actors and personalities titled "Zionist Influenza in Italian Media", including the names of Roberto Saviano, Paolo Mieli, Enrico Mentana, Gad Lerner, and others.

Di Stefano's commentary has given rise to a heated debate.

According to daily Corriere Della Sera, the list posted on Di Stefano's Facebook page is a list that was already at the center of the controversy, on which the Public Prosecutor opened a file for threats and defamation with aggravating character of racial hatred, in December 2015 .

"I do not moderate the comments, the debate is open on my Facebook page," said Di Stefano. "Whoever writes assumes full responsibility, I do not delete comments. I never do it "

Only after some polemics raised on the net the deputy intervened in the comments. Di Stefano wrote, "on this page you are asked not to make lists of people that do not have any real fault. This post speaks about the political actions of the Israeli government and the relations with the Italian government, nothing else."

Di Stefano has been repeatedly referred to as a possible Foreign Minister in a government led by the 5 Star Movement. Parliamentary sources confirmed that after this incident, it will be difficult to imagine a government role for him. This was not Di Stefano's first political slip. In his trip to Israel last July he said: "History teaches us that Hamas was born as a party and won in free elections. Then the isolation of Gaza has changed things.’’