Civil society associations take Leonardo spa and the Italian State to court and demand that the contracts signed for the sale and supply of arms to Israel be declared null and void

Rome, 20 November 2025 - On 29 September 2025, the associations AssoPacePalestina, A Buon Diritto, ATTAC Italia, ARCI, ACLI, Pax Christi, Un Ponte Per and Dott.ssa Hala Abulebdeh o Abu Lebdeh, Palestinian citizen, represented and defended by Lawyers Luca Saltalamacchia and Veronica Dini, assisted by Lawyers Michele Carducci and Antonello Ciervo, filed an appeal with the Civil Court of Rome, asking that the contracts entered into by Leonardo Spa and its subsidiaries with the State of Israel, regarding the sale and supply of weapons to the IDF, be declared null and void.

Leonardo Spa is among the largest arms manufacturers in the world and the Italian state, through the Ministry of Economy and Finance, is its majority shareholder. Israel has been responsible for serious and systematic human rights violations for decades, not only in Gaza, but throughout the West Bank and Jerusalem. Since well before 7 October 2023, the State of Israel has been carrying out a systematic military occupation and apartheid in the West Bank and Gaza, fuelled also by weapons sold by foreign partners.

The writ of summons seeks the ascertainment and consequent annulment of the contracts for the supply of armament materials entered into by the company Leonardo S.p.a., its subsidiaries or intermediaries with the State of Israel and the companies authorised by it, on the ground of persistent breach of the peremptory prohibitions imposed by the Constitution, the law, other imperative sources on the repudiation of war, supranational legislation and the findings of the competent UN bodies.

According to the complainants, the sale and supply of arms to Israel by Leonardo Spa is in conflict:

• with Article 11 of the Constitution, because Israel systematically uses war as an instrument of oppression against a people - the Palestinian people - and as a means of settling international disputes;

• with Law No. 185 of 1990, which prohibits the export of armaments to states whose policies conflict with Article 11 of the Italian Constitution or whose governments are responsible for violations of international human rights conventions, ascertained by the competent bodies of the United Nations, such as the case of the State of Israel;

• with the provisions of the Leonardo SpA Codes of Ethics and due diligence tools.

If the Civil Court in Rome recognises the nullity of the arms supply contracts, Leonardo and the Italian State will no longer be able to provide military support to Israel.

In addition, the actors call on the judiciary to prohibit the future sale of weapons and military technology to Israel, in particular those used to date in ground and air operations contrary to international law, conducted against the Palestinian population.

This initiative represents one of the first legal actions launched against a private company and an EU Member State, which are involved in arms supply and sale agreements with the State of Israel. With this lawsuit, the promoting associations are asking Leonardo Spa and the Italian state to take responsibility for the extermination and countless sufferings caused to the Palestinian population, in Gaza and beyond, by the IDF and the Israeli government.