Meloni announces the suspension of the renewal of the military cooperation agreement between Italy and Israel

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced on Tuesday the suspension of the Italian defense agreement with Israel, which includes the exchange of military equipment and technology research.

“Given the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defense agreement with Israel,” Meloni said on the sidelines of an event in the city of Verona, according to the Italian news agencies ANSA and AGE.

An Italian diplomatic source confirmed to Agence France-Presse that the agreement had been suspended, saying that “maintaining it was a politically difficult issue.”

Italy ratified the defense agreement in 2006, and its expiration date was approaching, as it is subject to renewal every five years.

The agreement regulates cooperation between the two countries in the field of defense industries, research, information technology, military training, and others.