Viral videos circulating on social media claim to show Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wearing a Palestinian flag scarf while appearing alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a United Nations event. Some versions also show Meloni allegedly ignoring Netanyahu’s handshake or dramatically reacting during a conference. However, the videos are not authentic.
According to Snopes, the clips are AI-generated deepfakes. There is no evidence that Meloni wore a Palestinian flag garment during a public appearance with Netanyahu at a UN event. (snopes.com)
Independent fact-checkers analyzing the footage identified multiple signs of digital manipulation. These included unnatural facial expressions, robotic body movements, distorted text on the scarf, and inconsistencies in lighting and motion. AI-detection tools used by investigators also flagged the videos as likely synthetic media. (indiatoday.in)
One of the viral clips showed Meloni appearing to refuse Netanyahu’s handshake while wearing a scarf in Palestinian colors. Another depicted her angrily throwing papers during an international conference. Fact-checkers traced some of the imagery to real public appearances and conferences, but found the footage had been digitally altered using AI tools. (tribune.com.pk)
The videos spread amid heightened international tensions involving Israel, Iran, and Gaza, as well as growing scrutiny of Italy’s relationship with Israel. Although Meloni’s government had recently taken some policy positions critical of aspects of Israeli military actions, there is no verified evidence she publicly staged the dramatic gestures shown in the viral videos. (turn0search13)
Snopes reported that Meloni herself later stated on X that she had been targeted by deepfake imagery online. (snopes.com)
The case highlights how AI-generated political misinformation can rapidly spread during geopolitical conflicts, especially when fabricated footage aligns with existing political narratives.
Final Verdict: False