G7 ministers will convene in Italy next week to discuss the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as stated by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday. She emphasized the need for further examination of the matter.
The ICC’s decision to issue the warrant has drawn sharp criticism from Israel and its allies, while Turkey and several human rights groups have supported the move. The issue has created tensions within Meloni’s hard-right coalition government. Defense Minister Guido Crosetto remarked that Italy would be obligated to arrest Netanyahu if he visited, whereas Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini declared that Netanyahu would still be welcome in the country.
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“In the coming days, I will delve deeper into the reasons that led to the ICC’s decision—reasons that should always be objective and not political in nature,” Meloni said in a statement. She also announced that the warrant would be discussed during the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Fiuggi, near Rome, on Monday and Tuesday.
The ICC has also issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu’s former defense minister and Hamas’s military leader, Mohammed Deif. Addressing the broader context, Meloni clarified: “One point remains clear from this government—there cannot be an equivalence between the responsibility of the state of Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas.”
