Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced Tuesday her government has suspended the automatic renewal of Italy’s 2003 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Israel on military and defense cooperation.
“In consideration of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defense agreement with Israel,” Meloni told reporters on the sidelines of a wine fair in Verona.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced on Tuesday that Italy has suspended the automatic renewal of a defence cooperation agreement with Israel pic.twitter.com/gNJDQ2GbKf
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) April 15, 2026
The MoU, which covers the exchange of military material, joint scientific research, defense industry cooperation, and military personnel training, renews automatically every five years.
The timing is notable. Ten Italian jurists had formally warned Meloni’s government to terminate the agreement before its next renewal window, arguing the MoU was in “blatant, deliberate, systematic, and intersectional violation of humanitarian law” and threatening legal action if it was allowed to renew.
An Israeli government spokesperson said the suspension “won’t harm our security.”
The suspension follows a series of bilateral confrontations. On March 29, Meloni’s office condemned Israel for blocking Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and Friar Francesco Ielpo from celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, calling it “an affront not only to believers but to all communities that recognise religious freedom.”
On March 31, Italy denied U.S. military aircraft permission to land at Sigonella air base in Sicily for a combat transit to the Middle East. A Defense Ministry source told AFP that parliament could not be consulted in time to authorize the non-routine combat use.
On April 7, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) detained a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeper after blocking a logistics convoy. UNIFIL’s head of mission secured the peacekeeper’s release in under an hour.
“Any detention of a United Nations peacekeeper is a blatant violation of international law,” UNIFIL stated.
The following day, IDF warning shots struck an Italian UNIFIL logistics convoy traveling from Shama to Beirut, damaging one vehicle. No troops were injured. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani summoned the Israeli ambassador to Rome.
“It is completely unacceptable that personnel operating under a UN mandate are targeted,” Tajani told Italy’s lower house of parliament.
Israel summoned Italy’s ambassador Luca Ferrari on April 13 to protest Tajani’s visit to Beirut, where the foreign minister condemned Israeli strikes on civilians and called for a ceasefire.
Tajani stated he traveled to Beirut to “convey Italy’s solidarity following Israel’s unacceptable attacks against the civilian population.”
Minister @Antonio_Tajani during the mission to Lebanon: 🗣️ “Lebanon is a brotherly nation that holds a special place in our hearts. That is why I have come to Beirut today to convey Italy’s solidarity to President Aoun following Israel’s unacceptable attacks on the civilian… https://t.co/vcfR7GfZGg
— Italy MFA (@ItalyMFA_int) April 13, 2026
Meloni’s announcement did not set a timeline for lifting the suspension or conditions for renewal.
