Eli Avidar
Eli AvidarYonatan Sindel/Flash 90

MK Eli Avidar (Yisrael Beytenu) on Monday praised MK Mansour Abbas, who condemned the recent terrorist attacks in Be'er Sheva and Hadera, and said he sees him as a role model for other Arab leaders.

In a statement, Avidar noted that during a wave of suicide bombings in 1998, the then leader of the Islamic Movement, Sheikh Abdullah Nimar Darwish, called for an end to the suicide bombings, which was an unusual call that helped calm the region.

"MK Mansour Abbas is a student of Sheikh Nimar Darwish, and just like him, he came out with a resolute call against the recent terrorist attacks. This is not trivial. It would be appropriate for the other heads of the Arab public to take an example from him," said Avidar.

At the same time, he noted that Mansour Abbas "has no influence on terrorists who draw inspiration from ISIS killers (and) we must mercilessly fight those."

"Even in this difficult time, we must remember: the Arabs of Israel are not the enemy. They are our neighbors, colleagues and friends. The state is just as important to them as it is to us," Avidar wrote. "The terrorists, the murderers, their senders and those who root for them are our enemies, and they must be fought mercilessly."

MK Abbas on Sunday evening issued a statement condemning the attack in the city of Hadera in which two officers were killed and four others were wounded.

"I condemn the heinous crime in the city of Hadera, and say that it is a heinous ISIS terrorism that does not represent Arab society in Israel, which seeks a dignified life within the rule of law, and within a system of values ​​that respects and sanctifies human life, Arab and Jewish life, and values ​​of peace and tolerance," he said.

The chairman of the predominantly Arab Joint List party, MK Ayman Odeh, said that "the murderous attack in Hadera today is a shocking crime. There is and can be no justification for harming civilians. These acts have nothing to do with the political fight the Arab public is waging for its rights. This is not their way and never will be."

Odeh added that "the Arab public is far from ISIS and its radical and dangerous doctrine and it has condemned this doctrine for many years. Our way is a non-violent struggle, so it has been and so it will be. In these difficult hours, we call on the public, Arabs and Jews, to act responsibly."