Italy’s right-wing government has joined with Germany, France, Canada and the United Kingdom in calling on Israel to end its military campaign in Gaza.
“The legitimate reaction of the Israeli government to a terrible and senseless act of terrorism is unfortunately taking absolutely dramatic and unacceptable forms, which we call on Israel to stop immediately,” Antonio Tajani, the Italian foreign minister, said in an address to parliament on Tuesday.
“The bombing must end, humanitarian assistance must resume as soon as possible, respect for international humanitarian law must be restored,” he added. Later, alluding to calls by U.S. President Donald Trump and some Israelis to see Palestinians leave Gaza en masse, he said, “The expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza is not and will never be an acceptable option.”
Tajani’s comments are notable because Italy’s government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, is staunchly right-wing. Right-wing leaders have been the most durable supporters of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but that has shifted this week, as both U.S. President Donald Trump and Germany’s new center-right chancellor, Friedrich Merz, have called for an end to the war.
Meloni’s government is under pressure to take a stronger stance against the war, with opposition parties backing a major demonstration calling for the recognition of a Palestinian state planned for Rome in June. Tajani’s comments came during a heated parliamentary debate in which the opposition leader said Israel is guilty of genocide in Gaza.
Tajani’s comments come amid a groundswell of criticism of the war, including from closer to home. Ehud Olmert, the former Israeli prime minister who preceded Netanyahu’s second election in 2009, wrote in Haaretz on Tuesday that he believed the war was now “a private political war” for Netanyahu that in recent weeks had become indefensible for him.
“Yes, Israel is committing war crimes,” Olmert wrote, intensifying criticism he had made just days earlier when he said he believed Israel’s war conduct was verging on criminal.
Olmert’s comments came the same day that Israel rolled out a new aid distribution system in Gaza after months of not allowing any humanitarian aid into the enclave where 2 million Palestinians live. The system, which briefly paused after being overrun by crowds of food-seekers, has drawn criticism from aid agencies and others for requiring Gazans to travel long distances to receive assistance.
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