Minister for Foreign Affairs Giulio Terzi was informed in Paris, where he is accompanying President of the Republic Napolitano on a State visit, of the bus bombing this morning in Tel Aviv, which he firmly condemned. “An act of barbarous violence”, said the minister, “that has no justification and to which indignation and horror are the only response”. Expressing his “solidarity with the wounded and their families”, Terzi asserted that “we have witnessed a vile act of terrorism aimed at distancing the prospects for peace that have so actively engaged Western diplomacy and the principal regional actors over recent days”.
Shortly before receiving the news, Terzi had spoken to a representative of the Italian community in Ashkelon, who were welcoming a visit by Italian Ambassador Talò. During the phone call, which was covered by a RAI television crew, the minister expressed “my personal solidarity in these difficult times and that of the institutions”, while at the same time expressing his hope “that the ceasefire much awaited in recent days will come soon”.
Ensuring the “Italian government’s commitment to seeking a solution to the crisis”, Terzi also pointed out “the important role of the Italian community in Israel in fostering relations between the two countries”. The representative of the Italian community of Ashkelon, one of the southern Israeli cities hit by rockets from Gaza, reported being “moved” by Minister Terzi’s phone calland words, and underscored that “the presence of the institutions gives us the sense of Italy’s strong and close presence”.