“The Nation of Israel sends its condolences to the Hazan family, whose son Tomer was assassinated by a terrorist criminal,” said Economics Minister and Bayit Yehudi (Jewish Home) Chairman Naftali Bennett Saturday evening, following the abduction and murder of Sgt. Tomer Hazan.
“Twenty years after the Oslo Accords, our partner has not changed. The murder, which was meant to bring about the release of a terrorist murderer, of one of [Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud] Abbas's soldiers, reminds us who our partners are,” he added.
“One does not make peace with terrorists who throw the bodies of soldiers into a pit. Rather, one fights them without mercy,” Bennett stated.
Minister Uri Ariel (Bayit Yehudi) said following the murder that "The State of Israel's absurd dance of releasing terrorists continues to threaten the security of Israel, because the terrorists have learned that we have no more red lines. I demand that any planned release of terrorists be halted. It does not bring peace – only unnecessary bloodshed, like what we witnessed today."
Deputy Defense Minister MK Danny Danon said that the brutal murder is the result of “ongoing incitement by the Palestinian leadership."
Abbas encourages such appalling acts, he charged, “by continuing to give grants to the murderers in the prisons.”
“Twenty years after Oslo, the Palestinians will not abandon the path of terror," Danon stated.
Deputy Transport Minister Tzipi Hotovely responded to the news by saying it was proof that prisoner exchanges with Arab terrorist groups increase the motivation by terrorists to target IDF soldiers in this way.
“The reasoning behind the murder is tragic proof that the deals for releasing terrorists are mistakes. The Palestinian street understands that abducted soldiers or bodies are an efficient means to trade with Israel for the release of murderers," she said.
MK Yoni Chetboun (Bayit Yehudi) stated Saturday evening that the murder is "further evidence that the release of terrorists increases the motivation for terrorism.”