Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has summoned Israel’s ambassador to Italy to the foreign ministry in Rome after two Italian Carabinieri officers were threatened at gunpoint in the West Bank whilst on official duty.
The Italian foreign ministry said the ambassador was called in “to seek clarification” and to confirm Italy’s “strong protest” over the incident. The threat took place on Sunday near Ramallah, in territory administered by the Palestinian Authority.
Earlier on Monday, the ministry said the Italian Embassy in Tel Aviv had already sent a formal diplomatic note of protest to the Israeli government.
According to a statement from the ministry, the two Carabinieri were carrying out a site inspection in preparation for an upcoming visit by European Union ambassadors to a local village. The officers, who were working for Italy’s Consulate General in Jerusalem, were confronted by an armed man in civilian clothing, believed to be an Israeli settler.
The man reportedly pointed a rifle at the two officers and questioned them, despite them holding diplomatic passports and travelling in a vehicle with diplomatic licence plates.
“The Carabinieri were threatened by an armed man in civilian clothes, presumably an Israeli settler, who pointed a rifle at them,” the ministry said.
Carabinieri not in military zone
The officers were placed on the phone with an unidentified individual who claimed they were inside a military area and had to leave immediately. However, subsequent checks with COGAT, the Israeli military body responsible for the occupied territories, confirmed that no military zone existed at that location.
Italian government sources said the suspected settler forced the two Carabinieri to kneel at gunpoint before allowing them to leave. Following their rules of engagement, the officers did not respond with force.
They later returned safely to the Italian Consulate in Jerusalem and reported the incident through diplomatic and military channels.
Rome has demanded explanations from Israeli authorities and raised concerns about the safety of Italian personnel operating in the region, particularly in the context of diplomatic and EU-related missions.
