Israel is downplaying Italy’s decision to suspend the automatic renewal of a 2003 defense cooperation agreement between the two countries, saying the deferral would not impact Israel’s security.
However, Israeli opposition leaders are saying the move by Rome marks “yet another embarrassing failure” for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said the agreement was merely a “memorandum of understanding” between Israel and Italy that does not contain any “real substance.”
“Israel’s security will not be harmed,” Mr. Sa’ar said Tuesday.
Former Prime Minister Yair Lapid, now leader of the opposition in Israel’s legislature, accused Mr. Netanyahu of creating a row with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, previously considered one of Israel’s most steadfast defenders in Europe.
“Meloni is not a left-wing progressive European leader; she is in the right-wing-conservative camp and understands the need to fight terrorism,” Mr. Lapid said Tuesday on X.
Israel’s military activity in Lebanon, where Italy has about 1,000 troops stationed as part of the UN mission, is the primary driver of the diplomatic tension. Outrage has been growing in Rome over allegations that Israeli troops have fired warning shots at Italian UN peacekeepers.
“The government has failed to advance Israel’s interests even in the face of people who are supposed to be friends and our natural allies,” Mr. Lapid said. “We will return, form a government, and Israel will once again become the country everyone wanted to love.”
Mr. Sa’ar dismissed the comments from Mr. Lapid as “childish, baseless, but also dangerous.”
“We shouldn’t seek the world’s love. We’ll settle for respect, esteem, and safeguarding our vital interests,” he said on X. “That’s how we opened new embassies around the world, nurtured alliances, wove new relationships [and] brought embassies to Jerusalem, our eternal capital.”
The agreement in question, originally signed under Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, facilitates the exchange of military equipment, technology research, and joint training.
The dispute with Israel comes as President Donald Trump has accused Ms. Meloni of being “weak” for blocking the U.S. from using the Sigonella air base in Sicily for ongoing operations against Iran. She also publicly sided with Pope Leo after he criticized the U.S. for escalating conflict in the Middle East.
Mr. Trump said he was “shocked” by the decision, saying, “I thought she had courage, but I was wrong.”
During a press conference last week, Ms. Meloni said the alliance between Italy and the U.S. has lasted for 80 years and won’t be shattered by a single policy discord. But while Rome is a friend, she said, it is not a subordinate to Washington.
“Our job is first and foremost to protect our national interests, and when we disagree, we must say so - and this time we disagree,” she said.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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