The Knesset's Children's Rights Committee toured Beit Yehonatan in the village of Shiloach (Silwan) Tuesday, not far from the Kotel. Beit Yehonatan is inhabited by eight Jewish families, and is one of the Jewish outposts in the largely Arab-populated neighborhood.
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The Knesset Committee was represented by its chairman, MK Danny Danon (Likud), and one of the other four members, MK Orly Levi-Abeksis (Israel Our Home).
MK Danon said it was time to "take the children out of politics." He said that the committee decided to tour the location after hearing about the danger to children in the neighborhood whose Jewish residents have come under attack with gunfire, fire bombs and rocks.
"Caring for children is the commitment of the Knesset,” Danon explained. “The committee sees the plight of the children, Arab and Jewish alike, who live in the neighborhood. It is unacceptable that children are closed for hours inside the homes and that they require bulletproof vehicles to get to school. The committee will turn to the Ministry of Education and the Jerusalem Municipality for assessments regarding the upcoming school year, as far as buildings and educational institutes are concerned. It will also turn to the Minister of Public Security in order to increase security in the area.”
"When I heard that a fire bomb was thrown at a Jewish home with children my heart went out to them,” said MK Levy-Abeksis. “I believe that any parent would have reacted in the same way.”