Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said in an interview published on Monday that the Israeli government has lost its “reason and humanity” as European countries continue to step up criticism of Israel in response to its genocidal war in the Gaza Strip and its plans to escalate.
“What is happening is unacceptable. We are not facing a military operation with collateral damage, but the pure denial of the law and the founding values of our civilization,” Crosetto told La Stampa. “We are committed to humanitarian aid, but we must now find a way to force Netanyahu to think clearly, beyond condemnation.”
When asked about the potential for international sanctions against Israel, Crosetto said that “the occupation of Gaza and some serious acts in the West Bank mark a qualitative leap, in the face of which decisions must be made that force Netanyahu to think.”
The Italian minister said that any action taken against Israel would target its government and not its people. “And it wouldn’t be a move against Israel, but a way to save that people from a government which has lost reason and humanity,” he said.
“We must always distinguish governments from states and peoples, as well as from the religions they profess. This applies for Netanyahu, and it applies to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, whose methods, by now, have become dangerously similar,” Crosetto added.
Italy was one of the first European countries to restrict arms exports to Israel in response to military operations in Gaza, though Italian officials have said they were still fulfilling pre-October 7 weapons deals. “After the start of [Israeli military] operations in Gaza, the government immediately suspended all new export licenses, and all agreements signed after October 7 were not implemented,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in October 2024.
Germany recently announced that it would stop exporting weapons to Israel that could be used in Gaza, which is significant since Berlin is one of Israel’s biggest arms suppliers, second only to the US. So far, the only European country that has announced it was halting all weapons trade with Israel is Slovenia.
