Italy has suspended the automatic renewal of its defense agreement with Israel amid the ongoing US-Israeli war on Iran, now 'paused' as a two-week ceasefire holds in order to give a chance for talks.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced the significant status change following weeks of tensions over the Israel question, and after other European governments like Spain and France have heaped criticism on Trump's Operation Epic Fury. "The government, considering the situation we are experiencing, has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defense agreement with Israel," Meloni said during her latest press briefing in Verona.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto sent a letter to Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz confirming the suspension of the Italy-Israel memorandum, which governs defense cooperation. The agreement, which has been in effect for many years of the 21st century, oversaw and guided exchange of military equipment and joint technological research between the two countries' armed forces.
According to more background in the NY Times:
The defense accord, ratified in 2005, established cooperation between the two countries in areas including “defense industry and procurement policy,” importing and exporting military equipment, exchanging technical data and other forms of military collaboration. It has been renewed every five years, and was set for another renewal this month.
Opposition parties had put pressure on the government for over a year to suspend the renewal. Marco Grimaldi, an opposition lawmaker, said the decision was “a victory” for those who had protested Israel’s military offensive in Gaza over the last three years.
Like in Spain, much of the Italian public, especially among the younger demographic, sees no benefit in closely aligning Italy with Israel's agenda in the region. And anger and criticism of Israel has been on the rise for years, particularly amid the high civilian casualties of the Gaza war.
In the meantime rising energy costs in Europe from the Hormuz closure have only served to intensify scrutiny of Italy's ban on Russian natural gas imports, imposed after Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Responding to calls to revisit Russian gas restrictions, Meloni said, "We must not forget that the economic pressure we have exerted on Russia in recent years is the most effective weapon we have to build peace."
Meloni's relations with Washington have also come under fire, and her Tuesday comments were on the defensive: "When you are friends and allies, particularly strategic ones, you must also have the courage to say when you disagree," she said.
Starting in late March, Italy began blocking some US military aircraft bound for the Middle East from landing at Sigonella Air Base in Sicily. France under Macron has taken some similarly restrictive measures regarding the US military using its airspace related to Iran operations.
Trump has in the recent past said he had been "very shocked" that Meloni has very publicly rejected assisting the United States in the war against Iran, and by her "letting America do all the work" for Italy, "which gets its oil from Iran." Meloni has more recently said it is "unacceptable" for Trump to attack Pope Leo XIV over the Vatican's anti-war stance.
"Do people like her? I can’t believe it," Trump said in a recent interview, adding: "I thought she had courage. I was wrong."