Italy’s consulate in Jerusalem on Monday filed a formal complaint with the Israeli government over what it described as a highly unusual incident in the Palestinian village of Na’ama near Ramallah, in which an armed settler allegedly forced Italian police officers to kneel at gunpoint.
According to the complaint, the incident occurred around noon on Sunday and involved two officers from Italy’s Carabinieri protection and escort unit. The Carabinieri is Italy’s national gendarmerie force, responsible for both military and civilian policing duties.
The two officers, who serve at the Italian consulate in Jerusalem, were carrying out a patrol mission at the Sharq youth village in Na’ama and were traveling in an armored diplomatic vehicle bearing diplomatic license plates.
According to the Italian account, an unidentified man approached them in the parking area outside the facility and pointed a rifle at them. The man was wearing civilian clothing, a skullcap and a protective vest, and did not display any military or official identification.
In an effort to prevent escalation, the officers presented their consular identification cards issued by Israel’s Foreign Ministry. Despite this, the man, who did not speak English, allegedly forced them to kneel and questioned them about their presence in the area.
The man then made a phone call and handed the phone to one of the officers. The person on the line, who also did not identify himself, told the officers in English that they were inside a military zone and must leave immediately and never return. Once allowed to do so, the officers entered their vehicle and left the area.
The Italian consulate stressed that there were no signs or other indications that the location was a closed military zone.
“Since this incident involved Italian personnel carrying both diplomatic passports and diplomatic identification cards issued by the Israeli Foreign Ministry, and traveling in a clearly marked diplomatic vehicle, the Consulate General of Italy in Jerusalem wishes to express its deep concern over what occurred and the potential consequences for the officers involved,” the statement said.
Italian government sources said the two Carabinieri officers were unlawfully detained by an Israeli settler, forced to kneel under threat of a firearm and subjected to questioning. The sources said Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani summoned Israel’s ambassador to Rome, Yoni Peled, for a clarification meeting.
Israeli authorities had not commented on the incident by Monday evening.