Giorgia Meloni’s Ethical Retreat on Gaza
Randa Ghazy
Giorgia Meloni has abandoned her earlier moral condemnation of violence in Gaza, now reacting only when Italian interests are directly harmed — such as after attacks on UN peacekeepers. Her government’s actions, including a suspended defense pact and blocking EU trade measures, reflect political calculation over principle.
In 2014, when an Israeli assault on Gaza killed more than 2,200 Palestinians, Giorgia Meloni — then an Italian lawmaker — posted on social media: “Another massacre of children in Gaza. No cause is just if it sheds the blood of innocents.” More than a decade later, that moral clarity is gone.
As prime minister, Meloni’s statements on Gaza have grown cautious and ambiguous, adopting a “on the one hand… on the other hand” tone that has disappointed many Italians. In a speech about the war with Iran last March, she declared she would “neither condemn nor endorse” the conflict, a remark that sowed confusion rather than clarity.
When Italy announced in early April that it would suspend the automatic renewal of its defense treaty with Israel, many saw a turning point. Yet the move came not after some 75,000 Palestinians had been killed or Gaza devastated, but only after Israeli forces fired warning shots at an Italian peacekeeping convoy in Lebanon. Earlier, in 2024, two UNIFIL bases under Italian command had been attacked by Israel.
This pattern is clear: the Meloni government acts only when Italian interests are directly harmed, not in response to humanitarian catastrophe. The same reflex appeared when U.S. President Donald Trump insulted Pope Leo XIV — only then did Meloni criticize Trump, calling his words “unacceptable”. Previously, she had found Trump’s behavior in Gaza, Cuba, Venezuela and Lebanon entirely acceptable.
Italy remains the only Western European and G7 country to participate (as an observer) in Trump’s “Peace Council”, a body Italian commentators deride as an “ethical circus” that turns Italy into a “U.S. vassal”.
In early April, more than 2 million Italians joined a general strike in support of the Global Sumud Flotilla, demanding an end to the war. A recent poll found that only 11% of Italians consider Israel an ally. Yet just days after suspending the defense pact, Italy quietly joined Germany to block an EU effort to suspend a trade agreement with Israel.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced a halt to arms exports to Israel in January 2024, but Defense Minister Guido Crosetto later clarified the ban applied only to new licenses, not existing contracts. Italy-Israel trade and technology cooperation is worth billions of euros, with corporations such as Leonardo S.p.A. and Fincantieri maintaining close partnerships with Israel’s Elbit Systems, producing components for F-35 fighter jets widely used in Gaza.
Italy has repeatedly voted against or abstained on UN General Assembly resolutions calling for a cease-fire, refused to support Palestinian membership in the UN in May 2024, and sided with Israel against the International Criminal Court (ICC). After the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in January 2024 recognized the risk of genocide in Gaza, Italy as a party to the Genocide Convention has a legal obligation to prevent it — continued arms supply constitutes a violation of international law.
Sociologist Alessandro Orsini, in his book Gaza Meloni: Foreign Policy of a Satellite State, describes Meloni’s behavior as a “snake strategy”: when the spotlight is on, she says she “feels sorry” for Palestinians; when night falls, she retreats under a rock, making decisions favorable to Israel alongside Antonio Tajani.
Italy once played a unique bridging role between Europe and the Arab world, combining pragmatism with empathy. Restoring that identity requires more than ritualistic suspensions or carefully worded expressions of concern. For Giorgia Meloni, that courage appears to be lacking.
