Minister Yishai: Halt negotiations with Palestinians
Following Dimona terror attack, Shas minister calls on prime minister to consider reoccupying Philadelphi route. Right-wing MKs says bombing is terrorists' response to Olmert's decision to relax criteria for release of terrorists 'with blood on their hands'
Following Monday's terror attack in Dimona, which left one woman killed and about 10 people injured, Yishai said that "instead of dealing with negotiations we must deal with security."
Right-wing Knesset members said Monday that the Dimona attack was the terror organization's response to the prime minister's decision to relax the criteria for the release of terrorists "with blood on their hands."
Some of the MKs even called on the government to hit Hamas' leaders in the Gaza Strip, Ismail Haniyeh and Mahmoud al-Zahar.
MK Silvan Shalom (Likud) said that "Today of all days, when the government is discussing mitigating the criteria for releasing Palestinian prisoners with blood on their hand, we've received a painful reminder of what those terrorists are capable of doing."
According to Shalom, the assumption that the terrorists reached Dimona after leaving the Gaza Strip "obligates us to understand that all the talks with Abu Mazen (Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas) are worthless, as Hamas controls the Strip."
Shalom called on Defense Minister Ehud Barak to launch a wide-scale operation in the Gaza Strip and on the Shas movement to leave the government in response to the attack.
"Winograd (war report) and Annapolis (peace conference) are over, so there are no more excuses against a Gaza operation, as recommended by the defense establishment. It's time to embark on the required operation in order to defeat the Hamas terror and prevent them from carrying additional terror attacks against innocent civilians in the future," he said.
Former deputy Shin Bet chief, MK Israel Hasson (Yisrael Our Home) told Ynet that "the return of the suicide bombings to the terrorist activity cycle against the State of Israel is a reality Israel cannot accept. We have not become accustomed to the rocket terror, and now it has been joined by the suicide terror."
Hasson called on the government to retaliate the attack.
"The State of Israel must clarify the meaning of this reality immediately. I would like to remind everyone what stopped Hamas' suicide bombings – (Hamas leaders) Sheikh Yassin and Rantisi who went to heaven stopped the suicide bombings.
"I would like to remind everyone that (Hamas prime minister) Ismail Haniyeh is still alive and that (kidnapped soldier) Gilad Shalit is still in captivity. Don’t wait for the next terror attack and hit the Hamas leadership, including Haniyeh and (Mahmoud) al-Zahar."
'Build fence on Israel-Egypt border'
MK Arieh Eldad (National Union-National Religious Party) also found a link to the prime minister's decision to relax the prisoner release criteria, despite the Shin Bet's stance.
"According to Olmert, the person who drove the terrorist and prepared his explosive device will be able to be released from prison," he said.
His fellow party member, Nissan Slomiansky, said that "the government's helplessness in dealing with the breached border in Rafah and the fact that it trusted Egypt to do the job, increased terror and led to the attack."
Other MKs called on the government to build a security fence on the Israel-Egypt border.
MK Avshalom Vilan (Meretz) said that "the disgraceful attack is the result of the breach in the border between the Gaza Strip and Sinai. There is no escape but to quickly build a fence distinguishing between Sinai and the State of Israel."
Roni Sofer contributed to this report
