A magazine cover photo has become the focal point of a growing rift between Israel and Italy after appearing on L’Espresso’s April 10 issue.
Titled “L’Abuso” (Abuse), the image shows an armed IDF soldier filming a Palestinian woman whose face shows fear; the soldier’s grin contrasts with her expression. The cover’s caption accuses the Zionist right of turning “Greater Israel” into reality, listing annexation of the West Bank, soldiers colluding with settlers, devastation in Gaza, advances into Lebanon, border violations in Syria, a possible war with Iran, and “ethnic cleansing and massacres.”
Israel’s ambassador to Italy, Jonathan Peled, condemned the cover as manipulative and said it risks fueling stereotypes. He wrote on X that the image “distorts the complex reality” and demanded balanced, fair journalism; in other posts he claimed the photo was AI-generated.
The magazine and the photographer say otherwise. L’Espresso says the image is authentic. Italian photojournalist Pietro Masturzo, who photographed life under Israeli occupation, says he took the shot in the Palestinian village of Idhna, west of Hebron, on 12 October 2025, the first day of the olive harvest. Masturzo described armed Israeli settlers—some wearing army uniforms—and soldiers with covered faces arriving and preventing Palestinians from picking olives. He said the settler’s gesture mimicked a shepherd calling his flock, addressing Palestinians as if they were animals.
The dispute comes as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recently announced the suspension of automatic renewal of a defence agreement with Israel, citing disagreements over Israel’s military actions in Lebanon and wider regional developments.
