The decision was made based on a joint letter from the President of Emilia-Romagna, Michele de Pascale, and the Mayor of Rimini, Jamil Sadegholvaad, addressed to the exhibition organizing company, ‘Italian Exhibition Group’ (IEG), according to Israeli media sites. The Mayor of Rimini explained that the decision reflects increasing security concerns about the possibility of the exhibition turning into a wide protest area due to Israeli attacks on Gaza, especially with escalating tensions regarding the situation in the region. The decision sparked widespread controversy in Italy. The ambassador in Rome, Jonathan Peled, condemned the decision, describing it as an ‘ideological intervention’ aimed at ‘political propaganda,’ warning of its negative impact on cultural and commercial relations between the two countries. He claimed that this move ‘strengthens Hamas’s strategy and fuels anti-Semitism.’ On her part, Italian Tourism Minister Daniela Santanchè, from the right-wing ‘Brothers of Italy’ party, opposed the decision, affirming that ‘tourism should be a bridge for peace, not a tool for political defamation.’ Israel continues its war on the sector since October 2023, which has claimed about 64,000 Palestinian lives and injured around 163,000 others. It also conducts repeated air raids on several countries in the region, notably Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Qatar, in addition to its war on Iran, which lasted 12 days.
