New Delhi, June 7 -- The statement came quickly, and from a foreign minister whose relationship with Israel had grown notably strained. Antonio Tajani, Italy's deputy prime minister and top diplomat, posted to X on Sunday afternoon to condemn the shooting attack that killed one person and wounded five others in Israel's Sharon region - and the choice of words was as pointed as the condemnation itself.

no political cause, no conflict, no claim can legitimize the massacre of innocent civilians. Dialogue is the only path to lasting peace."

The attack Tajani condemned began at a gas station near Kochav Yair, northeast of Tel Aviv, where two men were shot from a passing vehicle on Sunday morning. The assailant, identified by Israeli police a...