Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Tuesday that Italy would not renew its defense agreement with Israel.
"In light of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defense agreement with Israel," the prime minister announced on the sidelines of Vinitaly in Verona.
It should be noted that an official message was already conveyed yesterday in a letter sent by the Italian Minister of Defense to the Israeli Minister of Defense, Israel Katz.
The agreement, initially approved by Israel in 2006, includes cooperation across defense industries, education and training of military personnel, research and development, and information technology, among others, and is reviewed every five years.
The latest move marks the peak of a growing trend of Italian distancing from support for Israel. Just last week, Italy’s Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, sharply criticized Israel after speaking with Joseph Aoun.
Tajani expressed solidarity with Lebanon in the face of what he described as “unjustified and unacceptable attacks."
In addition to summoning Israel’s ambassador for a reprimand in Rome, Tajani stated that Italy is working decisively to “avoid a situation where there will be another Gaza" along the northern border.
The Italian embassy in Beirut also adopted a harsher tone, issuing an unusual statement saying that “strikes on densely populated areas and the sowing of death among civilians constitute a violation of every principle of international humanitarian law."