Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that Rome would not renew its defense pact with Tel Aviv. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar downplayed the decision.

Italy “has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defense agreement with Israel in consideration of the current situation,” Meloni told reporters at an event on Tuesday. Rome’s defense agreement with Tel Aviv began in 2005. The deal encourages technological exchange and defense sales between the two nations. 

Israel is becoming a pariah state due to its brutal and aggressive war tactics. Tel Aviv is in the process of committing a genocide in Gaza, ethnic cleansing of the West Bank and southern Lebanon, and is occupying a large swath of southern Syria. 

Last week in Lebanon, Israeli soldiers fired warning shots at Italian UN Peacekeepers. 

Additionally, the US and Israel started an unprovoked war against Iran in February that has caused a crisis in the global energy market. The leader of Israel’s opposition said Italy’s suspension of the defense pact was a sign of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s failure. 

“Italy’s decision to suspend the security cooperation agreement with Israel is yet another embarrassing failure of the Prime Minister and the non-existent Foreign Minister,” Yair Lapid wrote on X. “Meloni is not a left-wing-progressive European leader; she is in the right-wing-conservative camp and understands the need to fight terrorism.”

The post continued, “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.”

Foreign Minister Sa’ar said there is no agreement between Rome and Tel Aviv.