ROME — Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has suspended Italy’s defense cooperation agreement with Israel as she continues to distance her government from the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran that has enveloped the Middle East.
Speaking on the fringes of a wine industry event in the northern city of Verona on Tuesday, Meloni told reporters her government “has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defense agreement with Israel in consideration of the current situation.”
The 2003 deal concerns the exchange of military material and technological research between the two armed forces and automatically renews every 5 years. Human rights lawyers have urged Italy to end the agreement, citing legal and ethical concerns over Israel’s strikes in Gaza.
The move comes amid rising tensions between Italy and Israel, after Israel Defense Forces fired warning shots at an Italian peacekeeping convoy outside Beirut, Lebanon on April 8.
No troops were injured, but the Italian response was swift: Meloni called the attack “completely unacceptable,” while Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani summoned the Israeli ambassador to Rome for a third time since 2024.
The Italian government has been largely supportive of Israel over its war in Gaza and does not recognize Palestinian statehood. But the war in Iran forced the Italian leader to reposition herself.
Meloni condemned Israel for preventing Catholic leaders from celebrating a private Mass in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on the Christian holiday of Palm Sunday, calling it “an offense to religious freedom.” And in a speech to parliament last week, she slammed Israel for its conduct in Lebanon.
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