Key facts
- The Hind Rajab Foundation filed a criminal complaint in Italy against Israeli Minister of Environmental Protection Idit Silman.
- The complaint alleges incitement to commit genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
- Silman made statements on February 27, 2025, and March 11, 2025, advocating for the removal of Gazans.
- The complaint also includes Silman's calls to cut off humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
- Silman arrived in Italy on September 6, 2026, with her husband.
- The Hind Rajab Foundation stated the complaint documents a "sustained and escalating campaign" of public statements over roughly two years.
The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) has filed a criminal complaint in Italy against Israel's Minister of Environmental Protection, Idit Silman, accusing her of incitement to commit genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The complaint was lodged after Silman arrived in Italy on September 6, 2026, with her husband, Shmuel Silman.
HRF stated that the complaint documents a "sustained and escalating campaign" of public statements made by Silman over approximately two years. These include remarks made at a rally in Jerusalem on February 27, 2025, where Silman said "the only solution for Gaza was to empty Gaza of Gazans.” She repeated a similar statement on Israel's Reshet Bet radio on March 11, 2025, describing the proposal as "realistic."
The foundation asserted that these statements were directed at Gazans as a civilian population, not at Hamas fighters. The complaint also details Silman's calls for cutting off humanitarian assistance to Gaza and her statements denying the existence of Palestinians as a people.
Dyab Abou Jahjah, HRF's director general, commented that "Genocide does not begin with killing. It begins when a people is declared to have no right to exist, when its presence is portrayed as the problem, and when its removal is presented as the solution." Natacha Bracq, head of litigation at HRF, added that the Italian authorities must investigate whether a government official advocating for the elimination of a protected group can be held criminally accountable.