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Mourning tent
Photo: AFP
Photo: Niv Calderon
MK Erdan
Photo: Niv Calderon
Ahmad Tibi
Photo: Gil Yohanan

MK demands dismantling of mourning tent for Jerusalem terrorist

Likud lawmaker says 'Israel cannot allow people to honor a despicable murderer in its territory.' Tibi on Lieberman, Eitam's attack on Arab MKs: They are fascists by any definition; they bear the flag of death and bereavement

Likud Knesset Member Gilad Erdan demanded that Police chief Dudi Cohen and Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter order security personnel to dismantle the mourning tent erected at the east Jerusalem home of the terrorist who killed eight Israelis at the Mercaz Harav rabbinical seminary Thursday evening.

 

"There cannot be a situation whereby the government of Israel, in its territory, is allowing people to honor such a vile and despicable murderer and adorn that honor with flags of Hamas and Hizbullah, who call for Israel's destruction." he said.

 

The terrorist's father was detained for questioning immediately following the attack and investigators from the city's Minority Unit instructed him to take down the Hamas and Hizbullah flags displayed in the mourning tent. The flags were indeed removed.

 

MK Dov Khenin (Hadash) spoke out against Erdan's call to dismantle the mourning tent, saying "I fundamentally object to collective punishment. He who carried out an offense should be punished. I don't think that punishing relatives is the correct way to deal with problems, it's wrong and ineffective to punish the family."

 

Earlier Saturday Jordanian authorities prevented relatives of the terrorist, Alaa Abu Dheim, from erecting a mourning tent in the capital of Amman.

 

On Friday MK Zevulun Orlev (National Union–NRP) demanded that Interior Minister Meir Sheetrit revoke the citizenship of the terrorist's relatives and deport them to Gaza. "The Hamas flags adorning the murderer's home in Jerusalem prove that this is a family of terrorists," he said.

 

'Eitam, Lieberman not knights of morality'

In response the Arab-Israeli lawmakers said the right-wing MK's were making cynical use of the attack to vilify the entire Arab sector. Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) told Ynet that MKs Effie Eitan (National Union-NRP) and Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beitenu) are "fascists who have set out to harass the Arab citizens.

 

"It is tempting to say that these people, such as Eitam and Lieberman, are simply deranged, but this is not the case," Tibi said, "these are fascists by any definition, and they have made it their mission to disparage the Arab citizens and their leaders, including Knesset members, who have always been opposed to attacks on citizens while these two incited to murder and bloodshed."

 

Tibi was referring to the eulogy Eitam delivered at Friday's funeral procession for the victims, in which he claimed that an incitement campaign promoted by Arab leaders and MKs during protests against the IDF's activities in Gaza is what led to the terror attack at the Mercaz Harav yeshiva.

 

"Two days ago I spoke out harshly against the traitorous Arab Knesset members who have settled inside the Knesset of Israel," Eitam said during the open-air procession," then they had come from a rally in Umm al-Fahm, where they said 'Shahids of Gaza – rest, we will continue the work.'

 

"Now, to our horror, we can see that this was an operational plan. They meant what they said: yesterday's murderer, a citizen of Israel with a blue ID card – there is no doubt in my mind that he was inspired by the events at Umm al-Fahm, which gave him confidence and direction. And to our dismay he is apparently not the only ID-carrying citizen of Israel who is willing to murder its citizens and the country itself," he said.

 

Tibi continued to say that this was not the first time the rightists had come out with extreme statements against the Arab public.

 

"Eitam was reprimanded by the IDF chief during the intifada for using excessive force against the civilian population, and Lieberman said we should face a firing squad and called for the transfer of Arabs residing in the 'Triangle' (aconcentration of Arab towns and villages in northern Israel)," he said.

 

"These men are not the knights of morality, but rather bear the flag of death and bereavement. In Europe these two would have been ostracized and considered dangerous and extreme, just like Jörg Haider, Jean-Marie Le Pen and Vladimir Jirinovsky."

 

The Arab MK added "One thing must be made very clear: We are citizens of the State of Israel, we have never stolen any land that didn't belong to us and have never called for murder. These two (Eitam and Lieberman) live outside Israel's borders on stolen land and occupied territory."

 


פרסום ראשון: 03.08.08, 20:16
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