Israel's standing in the world, particularly in the West, is very bad, but not new. The country's image is in freefall in the public and political spheres in Europe and the United States, mostly on university campuses, in the media, and in culture. One place where the hatred of Israel seems to have gotten out of control is Italy and that affects me on a personal level.
My family background is Italian and my love of the people and the country leaves me looking on with shock and increasing concern at what is taking place in many of its cities when it comes to anything related to Israel or Zionism, which has been leading to waves of extreme antisemitic rhetoric and action.
It seems as if Italy has solved all of its problems and all that remains is its growing disgust of Israel and Israelis, regardless of their background or political views. An almost inconceivable number of incidents were recorded lately. Soon after the October 7 massacre, Italy became a hotbed of pro-Palestinian protests, mostly on campuses. The student movement, which is strong in left-wing circles, along with the labor unions, has been holding weekly mass demonstrations in cities across the country, sounding anti-Israeli chants, bordering on antisemitism.
This has caused Jewish journalists and public figures to avoid speaking on the most important campuses, because they are Jewish and because they've expressed their support for Israel's war on terror.
But what happened just last week cannot be ignored. An Israeli couple on a visit to Naples was kicked out of a restaurant after the owner learned where they were from. "Zionists are not wanted here," she yelled after showering them with antisemitic comments.
The Israeli client who posted a clip of the incident online caused it to go viral and the Italian media took interest in the story. But along with condemnations of the proprietor's actions, there was also an outpouring of support for her position and around the city, stickers appeared with the words "Zionists are not wanted here."
Israelis kicked out of Napels restaurant
Artists and residents posed for photographs with the stickers and posted them online to show solidarity with the restaurant and its owner. "All of Naples is against Israel and the Zionists," they said.
In a large concert in Rome, held to mark May 1, one band played the most Israeli and Jewish of songs, Hava Nagila but over the lyrics its lead singer said there can be no joy until all people are free from oppression and called on the tens of thousands-strong audience to join him in the chant "Free Palestine."
Members of the Italian Jewish community took offense and the subversion of the song and the apparent ignorance of the band. The media reported the matter for a bit but then moved on.
Also last week, an event launching the sale of a book written by no other than the Oct. 7 massacre mastermind, Yahya Sinwar, was held at the Sapienza University of Rome, one of Italy's most important academic institutions. An earlier scheduled event was canceled amid outrage from the local Jewish community. This time, the organizers added their protest of the attempted censorship and noted the importance of understanding the "roots of the Palestinian resistance."
Daniel BettiniSupporters of Israel, including a well-known Italian singer and actor, suffered abuse online and even Holocaust survivor Liliana Segre, who was awarded the position of senator for life, had come under constant attack. Hers is the most important voice against antisemitism in Italy in recent decades and she has worked to preserve the memory of the Holocaust. Since the Oct. 7 massacre, she has become a target of anti-Israel sentiment and was branded a Zionist agent.
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Segre is a forceful critic of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and has expressed sympathy for the suffering of Palestinians, although she condemned Hamas. But that was not enough to protect her from the vile online attacks, and she has been forced to travel with personal security because of threats to her life.
Although many have told me that anti-Israel sentiments and antisemitism have always been present in Italy and the majority of the population does not support them. It is, unfortunately, a silent majority. Supporters of Israel, especially those who are Jewish, feel threatened. They are not confronting the surging antisemitism and the streets are left for the supporters of the Palestinian and Islamist causes, both from the extreme left and the extreme right.