Deputy Defense Minister Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan(Jewish Home) said in an interview with Arutz Sheva Wednesday that the ramming attack in Umm Al-Hiran was extremely serious, especially in light of the incitement which occurred there.
"I should mention that this is a village which for 13 years has fought against a government decision and the Bedouins petitioned and were reject in all judicial formats," said Ben Dahan, adding that "in the end the Supreme Court ruled that the State of Israel had to evacuate them from their place. Most of the Bedouin community agreed to move elsewhere. An extreme minority has been trying for weeks to incite residents to take violent action which led to the death of a policeman which should not have happened. I hope that the extreme minority will be dealt with."
Ben Dahan related that "for many years I lived in Beersheva and daily we saw the illegal construction, the violent stonethrowing and the camels wandering on the highways. The Israeli police is determined to restore order."
Ben Dahan believes that the Arab MKs should be interrogated about their role in the incident. "For Ayman Odeh and the members of the Joint Arab List, the rule of law is only relevant towards Jews. I believe that the Arab Knesset members should be interrogated. Knesset immunity is not immunity to encourage terror and murder of policemen. Violent incitement leads to murder and we should not make any concessions. We have passed the red line."
Ben Dahan added that "there will be order in the Negev. The rule of law applies there as well. I salute the police and the Authority for the Regulation of Bedouin Settlement. I hope that the Interior Security Minister and the Police Commissioner will act with determination to return law and order to the Negev."
Earlier, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan also placed responsibility for Bedouin rioting on Arab MKs, stating that "the Israeli government held negotiations with the residents for several long weeks. Odeh is not the one who decides what happens, and he is not the one in charge of negotiations."
Erdan blamed Odeh for incitement to violence, saying, "He was there in order to fan the flames and incite violence. What happened last night was that a terrorist carried out a ramming attack on police officers who were at the scene, and Odeh was among those who fanned the hate."