Yoni Chetboun
Yoni ChetbounHadas Parush/Flash 90

The stabbing of a young Jewish yeshiva student in Jerusalem's Old City on Thursday night by an Arab terrorist armed with a screwdriver has raised an outraged response by MKs from the right, calling for a strong response to nip the ongoing terrorism in the bud. 

Noting on the relative lack of attacks in recent days, MK Danny Danon (Likud) said "the quiet in Jerusalem is false. We must not restrain (ourselves faced with) a trickle of attacks, and we must act without mercy against every attack on citizens of Israel."

"We must allow Jews to reach the Kotel (Western Wall) in security, even at the price of reducing the maneuvering area of the Palestinians," said Danon, noting on reports that the victim was on his way to prayer at the Kotel when he was stabbed in the Old City's Damascus Gate.

Also reacting to the attack was MK Yoni Chetboun, of the Yachad - Ha'am Itanu party; Chetboun is a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

"The capital of Jerusalem has turned into a burning pyre," said Chetboun. "Make no mistake, this is a religious war over the identity and ownership of Israel in general and of Jerusalem in particular."

Chetboun concluded saying "there's a whip of Islamic terror here that whips us every once in a while. We must whip and not be whipped. It must be sharp, quick and painful. There's no other way, there's no other land (of the Jewish people)."

In the attack, the 21-year-old victim was apparently stabbed in the back with a screwdriver, leaving him with moderate wounds. The attacker fled the scene and is currently being tracked down by police.