Enrico Letta on Israel

Enrico Letta, both as a former Prime Minister and in his subsequent political roles, has maintained a consistent and notably positive stance towards Israel, emphasizing the vital nature of the bilateral relationship between Italy and the Jewish State. During his first visit to Israel in June 2013 as Prime Minister, he expressed hope for the success of US-led peace talks and confirmed that Italy would provide consistent European support for the process. He also sought to strengthen ties across various sectors, including economic cooperation, research and development, innovation, and security matters, such as discussing the need to halt the Iranian nuclear program. This historical engagement reflects a pattern of close alliance between Italy and Israel, which Letta sought to continue and intensify.

His supportive stance has been characterized by high-level engagement, including meetings with the Israeli Prime Minister and visits to significant sites like Yad Vashem, where he spoke of the Shoah as an open wound. While his administration also took steps that indicated a focus on the two-state solution, such as supporting a Palestinian non-member observer status at the UN, he was generally regarded as a friend of Israel. Furthermore, his political party, in the context of the 2022 election campaign, saw internal pressure to demonstrate strong pro-Israel credentials, suggesting a consensus within the center-left to maintain close ties, even against internal dissenting voices.