An envelope containing a bullet and a hate-filled letter marked “Fuck Israel” was sent to Pietro Bondetti, the mayor of Varallo in Italy’s Piedmont region, along with a threat that it was “the only warning before we start shooting.” The letter was signed by a group calling itself the “Anti-Zionist Movement” and also named Ugo Luzzati, the founder of the “Beitah” project that brought Israeli families to the town.
The message arrived on Friday in the local council’s mail. It accused Bondetti, Luzzati and other mayors of enabling the settlement of “Nazi-Zionists,” and said, “We will not tolerate the transfer of more families.” Italian media said the project has brought about 70 Israeli families to Varallo, in the Valsesia valley below the Alps, where many have bought and renovated abandoned homes.
Bondetti called the threat “extremely serious and unexpected,” filed a police complaint immediately, and said he had never seen any tension or problem involving the newcomers. He described the Israeli arrivals as a positive development for the area, noting that children attend local schools and that many of the families work remotely and prefer the natural surroundings. He also said he felt deep concern and bitterness over the incident.
Police have opened an investigation into the letter’s origin, and La Stampa reported that prosecutors in Turin, with the anti-mafia unit involved, are now part of the probe because the mayor was targeted. Luzzati, a Genoa native who lived for years in Israel before moving to Valsesia, said he had never received threats in those years and called the letter deeply worrying and absurd. He said the families came seeking a place without tension, political pressure, and Middle East war, and that most are integrated into the community, with many not even religious. President Sergio Mattarella phoned Bondetti to express support and condemn the threat, as Italian media warned that anti-Israel and antisemitic hostility has intensified in the country since the Gaza war.
