Tajani calls for investigation into use of force by Israeli authorities after reports from activists that rubber bullets were fired against flotilla vessels.
Italy’s foreign ministry intervened on Tuesday after Israeli naval forces intercepted vessels belonging to the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters off Cyprus, detaining 29 Italian nationals aboard.
Israeli forces boarded and seized at least 56 vessels from the flotilla, capturing more than 300 pro-Palestinian activists from over 40 countries, including medics, journalists and human rights defenders.
The flotilla’s mission had been to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and deliver urgently-needed humanitarian supplies to the Palestinian enclave.
The detained were being transported to the Israeli port of Ashdod. Among those held were Italian member of parliament Dario Carotenuto (Movimento 5 Stelle), journalist Alessandro Mantovani, and activist Ruggero Zeni, who had been travelling aboard the vessel Karsi-i Sabadab.
In a social media post on Tuesday evening, Movimento 5 Stelle leader and former Italian premier Giuseppe Conte condemned Israel’s attack as “extemely serious; it is an armed kidnapping, it is illegal and intolerable”, adding that contact with Carotenuto had been lost “for hours”.
The Don Juan, carrying Italian activists Antonella Bundu and Dario Salvetti, was also intercepted. Italian activists reported that rubber bullets had been fired at the vessels, including at the Girolama, which flies an Italian flag.
Rome responds
Italy’s foreign minister and deputy premier Antonio Tajani called for an urgent investigation into the use of force by Israeli authorities, following reports from Italian activists that rubber bullets had been fired at flotilla vessels.
Tajani instructed Italy’s ambassador to Israel, Luca Ferrari, to make a formal diplomatic approach to Israeli authorities, demanding that all Italian citizens participating in the flotilla “be guaranteed dignified treatment, full protection, and the guarantee of their safety during any administrative, security, or logistical operations conducted by local authorities.”
Tajani confirmed that Rome was monitoring the situation closely through its embassies in Tel Aviv and Nicosia and the Italian consulate, and called for the immediate release of all Italian nationals.
Maria Elena Delia, the Italian spokeswoman for the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), described the operation as illegal, stating it had taken place in international waters.
She noted that some of the vessels carried Italian flags and could formally be considered Italian territory, and called on the Italian government to oppose what she characterised as a violation of international law and to activate diplomatic channels to secure safe passage for the fleet.
Israel’s version
Israel denied that live fire had been used, with a spokesperson for the Israeli foreign ministry – cited by Italian news agency ANSA – saying that only non-lethal means had been deployed as a warning against the vessels themselves, not against protesters, and that no demonstrators had been injured.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the naval operation, commending soldiers for foiling “a malicious scheme designed to break the blockade we have imposed on Hamas terrorists in Gaza”.
Broader European reaction
Spain’s foreign minister summoned the Israeli chargé d’affaires in Madrid, condemning the action as a clear violation of international law. Portugal similarly summoned the Israeli ambassador following the detention of two Portuguese doctors travelling with the flotilla.
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned Israel’s “piracy and banditry” against what he described as the “voyagers of hope”, with around 40 Turkish nationals reportedly on board the intercepted vessels.
The sister of Ireland’s president, Catherine Connolly, was among 12 Irish citizens detained by Israel, according to the GSF.
Separately, 49 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) wrote to European Council president António Costa urging diplomatic protection for all participants in the flotilla mission.
The Israeli news outlet Walla reported that negotiations were under way to transfer the detained activists to foreign vessels for release in a regional country, echoing the resolution of a previous flotilla interception a few weeks ago, when activists were released in Greece after being intercepted in international waters by Israeli naval forces.
Photo credit: NICORIVERAPH / Shutterstock.com
