Italian Government Faces Growing Backlash Over Gaza Policy: 'Should We Declare War on Israel?'

 Around 700 Italian foreign ministry employees addressed a strongly worded letter to Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani calling on him to toughen his stance on Israel amid its continuing military involvement in Gaza.

The internal document, which was reviewed by Haaretz, expresses the employees' "profound ethical and professional discomfort" performing "activities involving Israeli authorities or entities which in turn are directly involved in the extermination of the Palestinian civilian population."

The detailed four-page letter comes after 34 former ambassadors called on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to freeze all military cooperation with Israel and change its political trajectory earlier this summer.

In the new document, foreign ministry employees criticized Italy's "wait and see attitude" toward Israel's war in Gaza, which is "incoherent with the country's Constitution and obligations under international law."

"Inertia – or mere rhetoric not followed by concrete actions – exposes us to the risk of complicity with the ongoing grave violations of international humanitarian law and with the genocide that is taking place," the letter reads.

Signatories list several measures they believe the government should undertake, such as recognizing a Palestinian state, supporting the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement to increase tariffs on Israeli goods and imposing an unspecified "apartheid tax" on Israel as a form of "reparation" for Palestinians.

The Italian government, like Germany, did not follow France, the U.K. and several other Western countries in unilaterally recognizing Palestine earlier this month. Raffaele Fitto, the European Commission vice-president from Italy, didn't attend a Commission meeting about sanctions against Israel last week, sparking backlash in Italy.

The foreign ministry letter also calls on the Italian government to "formally warn Israel against offensive actions or threats of the use of force" in its attempts to stop the Global Sumud Flotilla, which is using about 50 civilian boats to try and break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza. Four Italian opposition lawmakers – two from the European Parliament and two from the parliament in Rome – are on the flotilla, which plans to reach Gaza by early next week.

"It is very significant that part of the foreign ministry is asking the Italian government to take a clearer stance [on Gaza]," Arturo Scotto, an Italian parliament member from the Democratic Party, told Haaretz from aboard the flotilla. "It is quite incredible that Italy continues to cling to the narrative of [U.S. President Donald] Trump and [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu."

On Thursday, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto updated Italy's upper house of parliament on his decision to send a navy ship to assist the Global Sumud Flotilla. Crosetto's decision came after flotilla members said 11 boats were targeted off the coast of Crete on Wednesday, with drones dropping stun grenades and itching powder.

Crosetto condemned the attack, but said Italy's navy ship will be unable to provide assistance once the flotilla exits international waters. The Italian government and the Vatican were involved in a mediation proposal suggesting the aid carried by the flotilla is discharged in Cyprus and then distributed in coordination with the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, but members of the flotilla have rejected the plan.

Israel's foreign minister Gideon Saar said Israel was in favor of the proposal. "Israel said yes to the Italian government's proposal to unload the aid at the port of Cyprus and then to transfer it to Gaza," he said in an X post. "The flotilla rejected the Italian proposal, proving that their real purpose is provocation and serving Hamas."

Prime Minister Meloni voiced support for mediation efforts meant to avoid a confrontation between the activists and the Israeli navy. "What is the alternative if this proposal is not accepted?" she asked Wednesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. "What should the Italian government do: send navy ships and declare war on Israel?"

The Israeli embassy in Italy distributed a memo to local journalists claiming that "The flotilla was planned and organized by Hamas. It is a coordinated attack by Hamas against the State of Israel, under the guise of a civilian and humanitarian mission." A movement dubbed Blocchiamo Tutto (Italian for "We Will Block Everything" for Gaza) has vowed to retaliate with protests and disruptions if flotilla members are attacked.

The letter from foreign ministry employees comes days after Italy's largest popular mobilization around Israel's war on Gaza since the beginning of the war. Tens of thousands took to the streets in nearly 80 cities last week amid a general strike protesting the war and to express support for the flotilla.

Tony La Piccirella, a 35-year-old Italian activist onboard the flotilla, credits the mobilization with putting effective pressure on the government. "The mobilization led the government to take certain measures, including the symbolic step of sending military ship," he said, "I say symbolic because the ship will not take preventive action against possible attacks, but will only perform rescue operations."

The Unione Sindacale di Base, the main Italian trade union behind the strike on September 22, said the mobilization was "in response to the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip, the blockade of humanitarian aid by the Israeli army, and the threats against the international mission Global Sumud Flotilla."

In Milan, demonstrators clashed with police attempting to break into the city's main railway station, leaving over 50 policemen moderately injured. In Bologna, demonstrators blocked a major intersection and parts of a major highway. On Saturday, demonstrators blocked access to the airport in the northern city of Turin, causing traffic for several hours. A national demonstration slated for October 4 is expected to bring tens of thousands of protesters to Rome.

In wake of the mobilization, Prime Minister Meloni accused the opposition of using Gaza to score domestic political points. "I think it is objectively irresponsible to use an issue such as the suffering of the Palestinian people to attack the Italian government," she said.

The Italian government has remained generally supportive of Israel throughout the war. Meloni's far-right Fratelli d'Italia party has traditionally toed a pro-Israel line, partly to assuage concerns on its post-fascist origins, but has come under increased pressure for this stance over the last two years.

In November 2024, amid Israel's ground invasion in Lebanon, prominent members of the cabinet protested after IDF fire hit a United Nations peace-keeping mission base and lightly wounded four Italian soldiers. More recently, Israel's continued offensive in Gaza and reports of famine in the Strip led Meloni and her government to issue more vocal condemnations of the Israeli conduct, although critics say no concrete actions followed suit.