DOMINANT ANGLE
Rome recalls a security failure from October 7, which has become an electoral issue: the anniversary weighs on Netanyahu's candidacy, while the date also fuels Italian community and political debates.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
ANSA reports that Netanyahu is the only one, unlike former IDF chief Herzi Halevi and former Shin Bet director Ronen Bar, not to have acknowledged his responsibility in the attack.
- 02
The Great Temple of Rome held a ceremony for October 7 and the October 9, 1982 attack, with Israeli Ambassador Jonathan Peled and Cardinal Matteo Zuppi (Adnkronos).
- 03
Pina Picierno, Vice-President of the European Parliament, accuses Rima Hassan of having "desecrated" the October 7 exhibition in Strasbourg by trampling flags (Libero).
ANALYSIS
Rome, October 7, 2026. For the Italian press, the third anniversary of October 7 is first and foremost seen through the Israeli ballot boxes. ANSA writes that Israel is preparing for "a week of commemorations, events, protests, and processions," and that "the failure of the security apparatus and the government led by Benjamin Netanyahu continues to haunt the Israelis." The October 27 vote will be, according to the agency, the first since the Hamas attack and the offensive that resulted in "tens of thousands of Palestinian deaths" in Gaza; mourning and frustration will play their part.
The agency emphasizes the personal responsibility of the Prime Minister: a candidate again despite his age, cancer, and 19 years of cumulative mandates, he would be the only one not to have acknowledged his share of responsibility, unlike former IDF chief Herzi Halevi and former Shin Bet director Ronen Bar. ANSA also mentions old and new accusations, launched by Israeli media hostile to "Bibi" and by international titles, which reproach him for having been warned. It humanizes the day through the small tricycle of Ariel Bibas, exhibited at "The Space Left Behind": he, his brother Kfir, and their mother Shiri never returned from captivity.
La Repubblica, from Jerusalem, headlines an "Israel divided in two" and government alerts: possible threat from Gaza, from the West Bank where the army is on high alert, from Iran where suspicious activities would have been intercepted, or by air, after the failed attack on the Flydubai flight.
In Italy itself, the date takes on a community and political tone. The Great Temple of Rome hosted a ceremony for October 7 and the synagogue attack of October 9, 1982, in the presence of Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, Israeli Ambassador Jonathan Peled, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, president of the CEI, and elected officials from Fratelli d'Italia, Forza Italia, Italia Viva, and the Pd; it opened with a minute of silence and closed with the Italian and Israeli anthems (Adnkronos).
Libero relays the controversy from Strasbourg: European Parliament Vice-President Pina Picierno accuses MEP Rima Hassan (La France insoumise) of having "desecrated" the October 7 exhibition by trampling Israeli and European flags, and speaks of anti-Semitism. The provided articles do not report the response of the person concerned.
SOURCES (4)
- AdnkronosMEDIUM
- Libero QuotidianoMEDIUM
