Italy ‘concerned’ by Israel's choice of settler leader as ambassador

The Italian government has expressed “concern” over Israel’s choice of its next ambassador to Rome because of his close ties to the settler movement in the occupied Palestinian territories, Israeli media reported on Wednesday.

Ynet said that Benny Kashriel, who has served as the mayor of the large West Bank settlement of Ma’ale Adumim in East Jerusalem for 31 years, was chosen by Foreign Minister Eli Cohen in July to be Israel’s next envoy to Rome. However, the Italians have still not approved the appointment.

According to the Times of Israel, Italian officials have sent “informal messages” to Tel Aviv saying that they are “uncomfortable with the appointment of a person considered to be a senior settler leader [which] may embarrass them within the European Union.”

Kashriel was also the head of the Yesha Council, an umbrella body for the settlement movement, from 1999 to 2001.

The unusual Italian position has surprised the Israeli government, given that Italy has a right-wing government led by Giorgia Meloni, who is very friendly towards the apartheid state. The media noted that her position may have been influenced by the broad consensus in the European Union regarding the settlements, all of which are illegal under international law.

Israel hopes to resolve the problem, but senior foreign ministry officials admitted that it is “difficult”. The ministry has apparently asked President Isaac Herzog to intervene discreetly on the issue.

Only last month, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that Israel “needs to review the international perception of its attack on Hamas, and the method of achieving its goals.” He called on Tel Aviv to “respect international law and deal seriously” with civilians.

“There are a very large number of extremists in Israel, especially in the West Bank,” Tajani told the Financial Times. He stressed that time must be given to work on reaching a long-term political solution to the decades-long conflict.

Ynet noted a similar incident, when Brazil refused to appoint Danny Dayan as Israel’s ambassador to Brasilia, due to his membership of the Yesha settlement council. It added that he was then appointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as consul general in New York.

“This is not the only political appointment that may not go smoothly,” added Ynet, “as Tel Aviv agreed on Sunday to appoint former Knesset member Avraham Neguise as Israel’s ambassador to Ethiopia.” Sources familiar with Israeli-Ethiopian relations warn that the Ethiopian government may not approve of Neguise’s appointment due to his active support for the migration of Falasha Jews from Ethiopia to occupied Palestine.

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