Anger as ships carrying arms for Israel dock in Italy

Italian campaigners and pro-Palestinian rights groups are raising alarm over the ongoing shipments of weapons intended for Israel via the country’s ports, as the war in Gaza remains ongoing.

Port workers’ unions, along with the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) branch in Italy and other civil society groups, have intensified campaigns to monitor and challenge these shipments in recent months.

Rights groups have done this through protests, legal filings, and parliamentary pressure, arguing that allowing such transit could expose Italy to legal and ethical liabilities concerning the potential use of these materials in Israeli military operations in the Palestinian territories.

The No Harbour For Genocide (NHG) group, which seeks to stop maritime efforts sustaining Israel’s military assault in Gaza, revealed along with BDS Italy that four containers were loaded on 19 June at the port of Porto Marghera in Venice destined for an Israeli military industry facility in the city of Ramat HaSharon.

Tracking data revealed that containers suspected of carrying weaponry destined for Israel were loaded onto the MSC Nita vessel — which eventually arrived at Israeli ports — on 30 June.

Tracking data indicate that the vessel— which had returned to Venice on 24 July —departed the Port of Marghera on Tuesday, bound for the Port of Gioia Tauro in southern Italy, with arrival expected on Thursday this week. The shipment’s consignor is the US-based Union Technology Corporation (UTC), a company specialising in multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCs), surface-mount chips, and electronic filters for military, aerospace, and industrial uses.

As some of these products are dual-use, they are subject to international and national export regulations; exporting certain types with sensitive specifications outside the European Union requires special licenses.

BDS Italy has raised the possibility that the MSC Nita vessel had bypassed oversight procedures overseen by the National Authority for War Material and Dual-Use Equipment (UAMA) —the Italian body responsible for regulating the transit and export of military materials.

The shipment’s final destination is reportedly IMI Systems (Israel Military Industries)—now a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, a major supplier of ground equipment and drones to the Israeli military —reinforcing suspicions about the military nature of the equipment being transported.

The same Israeli company had previously received shipments from the ports of Gioia Tauro and Cagliari last March; those containers were subsequently inspected by Italian customs and the Guardia di Finanza following reports filed by BDS Italy.

In a statement, BDS Italy said that it was "unbelievable that no statement or information has been issued by any local or national institution regarding the content and destination of the shipments inspected at Gioia Tauro —four and a half months after the initial interceptions".

The group demanded "maximum clarity and transparency regarding the movement of weapons fueling the ongoing genocide in Gaza, as well as systematic inspections and the seizure of any military shipments leaving or passing through Italian ports." They warned of a "clear and present risk that the unloading or transshipment of this equipment could contribute to acts of genocide, in violation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the binding rulings of the International Court of Justice."

The movement also called on competent authorities to conduct inspections and verify the nature of the cargo and the licenses issued by UAMA.

Carlo Tombola, head of the European and Mediterranean port arms observatory Weapon Watch, spoke of the number of times arms shipments have travelled to Israel via Italy in violation of Article 178 of Italian law.

In an interview with The New Arab, Tombola said: "Sometimes we spot just one container —like a drop in the ocean —heading to Israel filled with weapons, out of the thousands that end up in Haifa, Ashdod, or Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv."

He added: "At other times, we see the ship or aircraft carrying out the transport, and in rare instances, we identify the company shipping weapons, components, or munitions to Israel."

He said Genoa port is among the ports in Italy which have received some of the most vessels intended to head to Israel with arms, and pointed out that there are at least ten other Italian ports which have done the same.

Italian ports have faced  major protests from union workers and pro-Palestinian activists over reports and evidence suggesting that vessels carrying weapons to be received by Israel were docking there.

Protests have notably taken place at the ports of Genoa, Ravenna, and Livorno, with workers refusing to load containers reportedly linked to military shipments bound for Israel.

In February, Italian dockworkers held a nationwide strike aimed at disrupting ports they said were handling military supplies destined for Israel.

In April, Italy decided to not renew its defence agreement with Israel "in view of the current situation," in a likely reference to the onslaught in Gaza, which is still ongoing despite a ceasefire agreement in place since October last year.

In response to the war in Gaza in 2023, Rome stopped authorizing new arms exports to Israel, but pre-existing arms contracts were still fulfilled, drawing criticism and anger from pro-Palestinian activists.