The investigation continues Other economics which in recent months, with data in hand, has denied the Meloni government regarding the statements regarding Italian military exports to Israel. The latest unpublished data from the Customs and Monopolies Agency reveal a disturbing fact: between December 2023 and January 2024, Italy exported weapons and munitions of war to Israel for a total value of over two million euros.
OPEN In a contradiction, the Meloni government had declared a total stop to arms exports to Tel Aviv, stating that Istat statistics also included components of a “civilian” nature, such as revolvers and bayonets. The export of “civilian” weapons in critical contexts such as the occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank is problematic, where Israeli settlers are armed by the Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir himself, in the face of a predominantly unarmed Palestinian civilian population that is constantly brutalized .
Customs data, Istat’s primary source, clarifies any doubts: exports exclusively concern material for military use. The «Bombs, grenades, missiles and other ammunition» category recorded an impressive increase, going from 730,869.5 euros in December 2023 to 1,352,675 euros in January 2024, in the midst of the Israeli military attack against the civilian population of Gaza.
GIORGIO BERETTA, analyst at the Permanent Observatory on Small Arms (Opal), confirms that the figures, excluding common ammunition, represent exclusively military material. This situation places Italy at risk of sanctions based on the provisions of international criminal law.
Faced with the international arrest warrant requested by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court for Netanyahu, it becomes difficult to look at the photos of President Meloni intent on shaking hands with her Israeli counterpart and starting negotiations for the potential involvement of Italian companies in the management of resources mining in Gaza: on 29 October 2023, in fact, the multinational Eni signed an agreement with the energy ministry of Tel Aviv to start the exploration of gas deposits in the waters off the Gaza Strip.
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Since the International Court of Justice imposed precautionary measures to prevent acts of genocide and guarantee essential goods to Gaza, Italy, by exporting weapons to Israel, would have violated international obligations, risking being called to account for its responsibilities.
Once again, Beretta mentions the 2013 United Nations Arms Trade Treaty, which imposes strict controls to prevent weapons from contributing to gender-based violence or violence against civilians. Italy should have reviewed the export authorizations in light of new information, which did not happen, explicitly ignoring the Treaty’s warnings.
THE MINISTER Defense official Guido Crosetto initially said that arms exports to Israel had been suspended after October 7, 2023, but later admitted that many licenses had already been used. The case-by-case assessment of Uama, the body responsible for issuing military licenses, does not exempt Italy from its responsibilities. In conclusion, the situation highlights a serious negligence of the Italian government in stopping the export of weapons towards a war context which has seen over 36 thousand people die to date.
