'Israel' barred from participating in major Italian trade fair

Defence affairs - Def-Geopolitics

Organizers of the Fiera del Levante, one of Italy’s largest international trade exhibitions, have announced that 'Israel' will not be invited to this year’s event in Bari, citing ethical and political concerns over the situation in Gaza, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

The fair, scheduled to run from Sept. 13 to 21, confirmed the decision after Bari Mayor Vito Leccese urged that 'Israel' be barred from participating. In a statement on July 1, Leccese had called “not to let Israel participate in the fair activities within the Bari exhibition district, both institutional and economic.”

The event’s organizing body echoed those sentiments, saying, “For a commonality of ethical and political views, the Nuova Fiera del Levante has from the outset expressed a clear distancing from the atrocities of the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people and has supported, becoming its promoter, the initiative to propose the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to the children of Gaza.”

That initiative, launched by the Latiano-based foundation L’isola che non c’è, aims to nominate children in Gaza for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize as a symbolic gesture.

The fair described the proposal as “a moral appeal to the international community to recognize the right to peace and life for every child, everywhere in the world.”

The decision is expected to draw both praise and criticism, as the Bari-based exhibition, a major platform for trade, culture, and diplomacy in southern Italy, has historically welcomed wide international participation.