POLICY WIRE FACT CHECK: AI-Generated Video Claims Italy’s PM Meloni Wore Palestinian Flag at UN Event with Netanyahu
The Claim In September 2026, as global leaders gathered for the United Nations’ annual meeting in New York, a viral video circulated online that purportedly showed Italian Prime Minister...
The Claim
In September 2026, as global leaders gathered for the United Nations’ annual meeting in New York, a viral video circulated online that purportedly showed Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wearing a Palestinian flag during an event involving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The clip, shared on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), sparked immediate controversy and raised questions about the political relationship between the two leaders.
A user on X captioned the video with the text: BREAKING: 📷 Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni: ‘I am a woman and also a mother. I cannot stand with someone who kills innocent children.’ The brave woman continued to walk around wearing a Palestinian flag around her neck in front of Netanyahu. This statement, paired with the visual content, suggested that Meloni had publicly expressed solidarity with the Palestinian cause in a highly visible setting, which could have significant diplomatic implications.
The Details & Investigation
Upon thorough examination, the video was identified as an AI-generated fabrication. According to Snopes, the footage originated from a TikTok account that created multiple fake videos depicting similar scenarios. These videos exhibited clear signs of artificial intelligence manipulation, including inconsistencies in the visual rendering of the Palestinian flag and other digital artifacts.
One of the most telling indicators of the video’s inauthenticity was the incorrect depiction of the Palestinian flag at the eight-second mark. The flag’s design—specifically the green, white, and black colors and the red triangle—was rendered inaccurately, suggesting the image was not captured in real time but rather generated by AI software. Additionally, the TikTok account itself labeled some of its videos as AI-generated, although this label was absent from versions that spread widely across other platforms.
Further verification revealed no record of Meloni and Netanyahu attending the same U.N. event in 2026. According to reputable photo agencies such as Getty Images, the two leaders last met in March 2023 in Rome. Moreover, Meloni did not attend the U.N. General Assembly in September 2026, as confirmed by official records and press coverage. This absence directly contradicts the claim that she was seen wearing a Palestinian flag in the presence of Netanyahu at the event.
📄 POLICY WIRE WHITEPAPER PUBLISHED: PAKISTAN’S NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY PRIORITIES
It remains unclear why the TikTok account chose to create this particular deepfake. However, Meloni has been vocal in her criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza. In August 2025, she condemned the Israeli response to the 2023 Hamas attacks as “beyond the principle of proportionality.” In April 2026, she announced that Italy would not renew its defense agreement with Israel, citing “the current situation” as the reason. While these statements reflect a complex and evolving stance, they do not support the claim that she was seen wearing a Palestinian flag at a U.N. event with Netanyahu.
The use of AI-generated content in this case highlights a growing trend of disinformation campaigns leveraging deepfakes to manipulate public perception. As noted by the Alan Turing Institute, deepfakes are often created with the intent to deceive or entertain. In this instance, the video was clearly intended to mislead, given its timing, context, and the high-profile nature of the individuals involved.
The Verdict
The viral video claiming that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wore a Palestinian flag at a United Nations event with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a deliberate and coordinated act of disinformation. It was produced using artificial intelligence, features clear visual anomalies, and is entirely inconsistent with verified historical and event records. The footage was disseminated without proper attribution or labeling, further amplifying its potential to mislead the public.
Given the evidence, the claim is unequivocally false. The video is a deepfake, and there is no credible documentation supporting the assertion that Meloni was present at the U.N. event with Netanyahu. The dissemination of this content, particularly in the context of geopolitical tensions, constitutes a form of intentional deception aimed at influencing public opinion.
Counter-misinformation & disinformation investigation conducted by PolicyWire Editorial Desk (PW).
