Revealing that Settler Forced Two Italian Officers to Kneel Under Threat of Weapon in Ramallah

Translation by SadaNews - The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Monday evening that the Italian consulate in Jerusalem filed an official complaint with the Israeli government regarding an unusual incident that it said occurred in the Palestinian village of Kafr Ni'mah, near Ramallah.

According to the Hebrew newspaper's website, as translated by SadaNews, the consulate indicated that a settler forced the Italian police officers, who were conducting a field tour in the area, to kneel under the threat of a weapon.

According to the complaint, the incident occurred yesterday around noon, involving two policemen from the protection and escort unit of the Italian Carabinieri, which is responsible for maintaining military and civilian security.

The two officers involved in the incident work at the Italian consulate in Jerusalem, and they were on a reconnaissance mission in the area, using an armored diplomatic vehicle with a diplomatic license plate.

According to the Italian complaint, an unidentified man approached the officers in the parking lot in front of the building, pointing his rifle at them. The man was dressed in civilian clothes, wearing a Jewish cap (kipa) and camouflage jacket, and did not carry any military identification. To prevent escalation, the two officers presented their consular identification cards issued by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Nevertheless, the man (the settler), who did not speak English, forced the Italian officers to kneel and interrogated them about why they were there, then made a phone call and handed the phone to one of the Carabinieri officers.

According to the complaint, the person who spoke to the man on the phone, whose identity was also not revealed, told them in English that they were in a military zone and that they must leave immediately and not return.

Once they were allowed to do so, the officers got into their car and left the area.

The Italian consulate confirmed that there were no signs or indications suggesting it was a military zone. The Hebrew site reported this, and SadaNews translated it.

The Italian embassy expressed its concern over what happened, especially since the officers were carrying diplomatic passports.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani summoned the Israeli ambassador to Rome, Yoni Peled, for an explanatory meeting. Meanwhile, Israel has not issued any comments regarding the incident so far.