Overview

• Nuova Fiera del Levante has barred Israel from its September 13–21 trade fair, citing a “net distancing” from the “atrocities of the ongoing genocide” in Gaza and endorsing a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for Gaza’s children.
• The exclusion responds to Mayor Vito Leccese’s July 1 appeal to block Israel from all fairground activities and builds on earlier municipal gestures like awarding city keys to UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese.
• Organizers informed the Decano del Gruppo consolare di Puglia, Basilicata e Molise on July 17 of the intent to exclude Israel from both institutional and commercial segments of the event.
• Center-right politicians have denounced the move as an ideologically driven overreach and raised antisemitism concerns, while left-leaning outlets frame it as an ethical stance against civilian suffering in Gaza.
• Observers warn the boycott could prompt diplomatic pushback from Israel, affect Bari’s international trade ties and set a precedent for civic venues taking positions on global conflicts.