A magazine cover photo has become the focus of a growing row between Israel and Italy.
Israeli officials strongly objected to the image published on the April 10 issue of L’Espresso.
Titled “L’Abuso” (Abuse), the photograph shows an armed Israeli soldier filming a Palestinian woman who looks frightened. The soldier’s grin contrasts sharply with her expression.
The cover’s caption reads: “The annexation of the West Bank was carried out with soldiers colluding with settlers. The devastated Gaza. The advance into Lebanon. Borders were violated in Syria. War with Iran. Ethnic cleansing and massacres. This is how the Zionist right is turning ‘Greater Israel’ into a reality.”
Israel’s ambassador to Italy, Jonathan Peled, condemned the cover as manipulative and warned it could reinforce stereotypes. Writing on X, he said the image “distorts the complex reality with which Israel must coexist, promoting stereotypes and hatred,” and called for “balanced and fair” journalism. In further posts he claimed the image was AI-generated.
L’Espresso and the photographer, however, insist the image is genuine.
The photograph was taken by Italian photojournalist Pietro Masturzo while documenting daily life under Israeli occupation. Masturzo says the image was captured in the Palestinian village of Idhna, west of Hebron, on 12 October 2025, the first day of the olive harvest.
“Just as the harvest began, a group of armed Israeli settlers (some of whom were wearing army uniforms, like the settler in question) accompanied by real soldiers (with their faces covered) arrived and prevented the Palestinians from picking their olives,” Masturzo said.
He added that the settler’s expression is mirrored in a gesture he repeats, “mimicking the sound a shepherd makes when gathering his flock, addressing the Palestinians as if they were his own animals.”
The dispute over the cover comes as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni recently announced the suspension of the automatic renewal of a defence agreement with Israel, citing disagreements over Israel’s military actions in Lebanon and broader regional developments.
