ROME / ISTANBUL

The Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy has formally severed all institutional ties with the Israeli government, local media reported on Saturday.

This action is in response to Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza, and it comes shortly after the southern Italian region of Puglia made a similar decision.

According to Italy's ANSA agency, Michele De Pascale, president of the Emilia-Romagna Region, urged regional authorities to suspend relations with all entities linked to the Israeli government "that are not openly and declaredly motivated by the will to put an end to the ongoing massacre until respect for international law is restored."

De Pascale stated that the decision was made by taking into consideration the ongoing violence in Gaza, which is severely affecting civilians, as well as the recent dramatic events in Rafah and the International Criminal Court’s case against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

De Pascale emphasized that their decision is directed at the current Israeli government, not the Israeli people.

This development reflects a broader trend in Italy, with Puglia Regional President Michele Emiliano also announcing on X on Thursday that they had cut ties with Netanyahu’s government "due to the ongoing genocide of the defenseless."

On Friday, Matteo Lepore, the mayor of Bologna, which is the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, also urged all municipal institutions to cut ties with the Israeli government in a post on Facebook.