MK Aida Touma-Sliman (Hadash-Ta’al) on Tuesday issued a message of condolences for the Palestinian Arab terrorists who were eliminated overnight in an IDF operation in Shechem (Nablus), including the leader of the Lions’ Den terrorist squad.
"Nablus says goodbye to our saints, the Palestinian people say goodbye to their martyrs," the Knesset member wrote in Arabic, adding, "As the occupation escalates its crimes, the resistance escalated. This is a basic lesson in the history of nations."
Five terrorists were eliminated overnight Monday in a raid by IDF, Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Yamam counterterrorist forces of a hideout apartment in the Kasbah of Shechem (Nablus) that was used as a headquarters and explosives manufacturing site. The site was used by the main operatives of the “Lions’ Den” terrorist group. Among the terrorists who were eliminated was the leader of the group, Wadiya al-Houh.
Touma-Sliman’s remarks caused an uproar, with right-wing lawmakers once again warning against the formation of a government that would rely on the predominantly Arab Joint List Party, in which Touma-Sliman is a member.
"Read and disseminate Aida Touma-Sliman’s parting words to the terrorists who were eliminated yesterday by the IDF. This is all the people of Israel need to know in order to vote correctly, to vote for the right," said MK Miki Zohar (Likud).
Zohar stressed that "any Israeli government that trusts the elected officials of the Arab parties will end in failure. The Jewish people must protect themselves and their country because we have no other country."
MK Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionism) said that "you cannot fight terrorism when you establish a government with supporters of terrorism. It's either a Lapid-Gantz government with supporters of terrorists or a full-fledged right-wing government for four years."
The chairman of the Noam Party, MK Avi Maoz, added, "It's either a government that relies on Knesset members who glorify terrorists led by Lapid - or a national Jewish government led by Netanyahu that will eliminate terrorism."
Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that MK Aida Touma-Sliman proves once again that the Joint List cannot be integrated into the government and cannot be relied upon to establish one.
"Israel's security comes before the formation of a coalition," Gantz emphasized. "Proud of the activities of the IDF soldiers and the security forces that prevent terrorism. They will continue to receive full support for their actions, which are done professionally and on the orders of the political echelon. Ashamed of elected officials who support terrorists and are willing to allow them to continue to spill the blood of Israeli citizens."
Touma-Sliman, like some of the other Arab MKs, has made controversial statements.
Two years ago, Touma-Sliman falsely accused the IDF for allegedly spraying "unidentified material" on Palestinian Arabs at the Qalqilya checkpoint. She later retracted her claims after realizing her mistake.
In the summer of 2019, she sent official letters of solidarity to Democratic US Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib in the wake of President Donald Trump’s Twitter attacks on them. The two Congresswomen were barred from entering Israel due to their support of BDS.
In 2018, she asserted during an interview that Israel was to blame for an incident in which an Iranian drone infiltrated Israeli territory from Syria.