Labor Party chairwoman Merav Michaeli blasted the Netanyahu government on Saturday night, in the wake of the incident in the Palestinian Arab village of Burqa, in which a Palestinian Arab rioter was killed during an attack by an Arab mob against Jewish residents.
"The time has come to say it in a clear and clear voice: There is a party of terrorist supporters in the Netanyahu government. Terrorist supporters. If you want to deport families of terrorists - you can start by deporting the family of the terrorist settler," she tweeted.
MK Boaz Bismuth (Likud), a member of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, responded to Michaeli and wrote, "The time has come to say this in a clear and unequivocal voice: To all those in the media who are rushing, with the cooperation of Knesset members who allow themselves to make illusory parallels on such a day and to judge Jews who defend their land and homeland – show some respect and start denouncing the supporters of terrorism, those who embrace the terrorists and praise the shaheeds, with whom you dream of forming a government."
Friday’s incident occurred when dozens of Palestinian Arab rioters from the village of Burqa, near Ramallah, attacked with rocks, clubs and fireworks a group of shepherds and a number of Jewish residents who came to help them. One of the Jews was seriously injured and was rushed to hospital where he underwent an operation during Shabbat.
The incident began when a Jewish shepherd from the Oz Tzion outpost was grazing his flock in the area between Ot Tzion and Burqa. Several Arabs then approached him and threatened him. At this point, the shepherd, who felt that he was in danger, called a number of other residents who came to stay near him in order to prevent a deterioration in the situation. Dozens of Arab rioters armed with clubs, fireworks and rocks then began to attack the Jewish residents in a serious and life-threatening manner. The Jewish residents called the security forces and civilian forces to help them.
The rioters shot fireworks and threw rocks at point blank range at the Jewish residents, hitting one of them in the head and seriously injuring him. With his last ounce of strength, the resident managed to defend himself by using his personal weapon, for which he has a license. A 19-year-old Palestinian Arab was shot as a result, according to Palestinian Arab reports.
The injured man was evacuated from the scene by his friends who joined the ambulance that evacuated him to Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem.
The injured Israeli, as well as another suspect in the incident, have been arrested and their remands were extended by five days on Saturday night. The injured man remains hospitalized and as such was absent from his hearing and has not yet been questioned.
One of the arrested suspects is Elisha Yered, who in the past served a spokesperson for MK Limor Son Har Melech of the Otzma Yehudit Party.