Mahmoud Abbas at Paris counter-terror rally (file)
Mahmoud Abbas at Paris counter-terror rally (file)Reuters

MKs have begun responding to the stabbing attack that occurred on a bus in Tel Aviv Wednesday morning, in which around ten people were wounded - five of them moderately or critically - by an Arab terrorist who was shot in the leg and arrested.

"We should not show restraint to any attack, we must act without mercy against every attack on Israeli citizens and inflict a heavy cost on the Palestinian Authority (PA)," said MK Danny Danon (Likud). Reportedly the terrorist hailed from Tulkarem in Samaria, which is under PA rule.

Noting on the PA's recent bid to sue Israel for "war crimes" at the International Criminal Court (ICC), Danon added "at a time when the Palestinians are suing us at the UN they also are educating an entire generation with murder and incitement."

Referring to PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas by his kunya name, Danon concluded "Abu Mazen proved again that he is not a man of peace, but rather a supporter of terror."

MK Yoni Chetboun (Yachad - Ha'am Itanu) also responded to the attack, saying "for those who forgot, we are in the midst of a dragging war of terror. Israeli Arabs have a test of loyalty, but Israel has a test of resoluteness. We must employ an iron hand."

Regarding the loyalty of Arab citizens of Israel, during a controversy last November over employing Arab workers after several workers abused their position to conduct attacks, Jewish Home head Naftali Bennett claimed  99.9% of Israeli Arabs are loyal to the state.

That figure was debunked by a poll, which showed 29% of Arab citizens of Israel blamed the state for the recent wave of terrorism, meaning a third of Israeli Arabs gave tacit approval to the attacks.

"A sovereign state does not have the privilege of restraint facing terrorism," added Chetboun. "Restraint creates success which creates motivation for terror cells. We must nip this in the bud."