Italian diplomats threatened by armed 'Israeli' settler in West Bank, Rome summons ambassador

• Italian Carabinieri officers threatened at gunpoint by armed settler near Ramallah while on a consular reconnaissance mission.
• Italy summons 'Israeli' ambassador, condemns the incident as a serious diplomatic breach.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Monday called for the summoning of the 'Israeli' ambassador in Rome to clarify an incident involving two Italian Carabinieri officers during their duties at the Italian Consulate in Jerusalem.

Armed Settler Targets Italian Officers

According to the Italian Foreign Ministry, the two officers were directly threatened by an armed man in civilian clothing, believed to be an 'Israeli' settler, who pointed a submachine gun at them.

The officers were conducting a preliminary reconnaissance in preparation for a scheduled European Union ambassadors’ visit to a village near Ramallah in the West Bank, part of Palestinian Authority territories.

Officers Forced to Kneel Under Threat

Italian government sources said the officers were forced to kneel at gunpoint and were “questioned” by the armed settler, an incident that sparked widespread official outrage in Rome.

Escalating Tensions in Occupied Palestinian Territories

The incident comes amid rising tensions in the occupied Palestinian territories and an increase in settler attacks, including those targeting diplomats and foreign mission personnel.

Rome Summons 'Israeli' Ambassador

On Monday evening, the Italian Foreign Ministry officially summoned 'Israel’s' ambassador in Rome, Jonathan Peled, to lodge a formal protest over the assault on the two Carabinieri officers, who were performing a reconnaissance mission ahead of an upcoming EU visit to the village of Kafr Nima, west of Ramallah.

Antonio Tajani described the event as a “serious incident” and said Italy would make its stance official through a diplomatic reprimand to the 'Israeli' ambassador.

Italian Consulate Files Complaint

The Hebrew-language newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the Italian Consulate in Jerusalem submitted an official complaint to 'Israeli' authorities, calling the incident “unusual.”

According to the complaint, the armed settler forced the officers, who were on a reconnaissance tour in Kafr Nima, to kneel at gunpoint. The officers are part of the “Protection and Escort Unit,” a branch of the Italian Carabinieri performing both military and civilian police duties.

Details of the Confrontation

The officers were traveling in an armored diplomatic vehicle with a diplomatic license plate. The attacker, wearing a kippah and civilian clothes with a bulletproof vest but no military insignia, aimed a rifle at them.

Despite showing consular identification issued by the Israeli Foreign Ministry, the officers were forced to kneel while the settler questioned them about their presence. The settler later handed one officer a phone, through which an unidentified person in English told them they were in a “military area” and must leave immediately, with no indication on-site of any military designation.

Consulate Expresses Deep Concern

The Italian Consulate in Jerusalem issued a statement highlighting the gravity of the situation: “Given that the incident involved Italian personnel carrying diplomatic passports and credentials, and traveling in a clearly marked diplomatic vehicle, the Consulate expresses deep concern over the events and the serious potential consequences for the officers.”