Meloni and Ministers Reported to ICC for Complicity in Gaza Genocide

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has announced that she and two of her ministers have been reported to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged complicity in genocide in Gaza. In an interview with the state television broadcaster RAI on Tuesday, Meloni mentioned that Defence Minister Guido Crosetto and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani were among those denounced, along with Roberto Cingolani, the head of the defense group Leonardo.

“I don’t believe there is another case like this in the world or in history,” Meloni stated, though she did not provide details regarding who filed the complaint against her and her ministers.

Italy has witnessed a series of demonstrations over the past week, with hundreds of thousands of people taking to the streets to protest the mass killings in Gaza, many of whom have directed their anger towards Meloni’s government. Although her right-wing administration has historically been a staunch supporter of Israel, it has recently distanced itself from what it calls Israel’s “disproportionate” aggression in Gaza. However, it has not severed any commercial or diplomatic ties nor recognized the state of Palestine.

According to health officials in Gaza, over 67,000 people have reportedly been killed in the ongoing conflict, with experts suggesting that this figure may be an undercount and the actual toll could be closer to 200,000.

Meloni expressed her astonishment at the accusation of complicity in genocide, asserting that “anyone who knows the situation is aware that Italy has not authorized new arms supplies to Israel since October 7.” In response to her comments, a spokesperson for Leonardo stated that Cingolani had already clarified the company’s position in an interview with the daily Corriere della Sera last month, describing the suggestion of complicity in genocide as “a very serious frame-up.”