Coalition Flap Over ‘Mega-Terrorist’

MK Amram Mitzna (Movement) called for the ouster of Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) from the security cabinet after the latter branded Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas a “mega-terrorist.”

“A person who lines the pockets of murderers with tens of millions of shekels each month is a mega-terrorist, who has not changed his ways,” Economics Affairs Minister Bennett said over Israel Radio on Thursday.

Bennet charged that a terrorist serving 5 to 10 years receives 4,000 shekels a month; a terrorist serving 10 to 15 years gets 6,000 shekels, a terrorist serving 25 to 30 years makes 10,000 shekels and terrorists who are serving over 30 years make 12,000 shekels a month, Arutz Sheva reported.

The amount of compensation is in proportion to the heinousness of the crime; those convicted of murder, who are given the longest sentences, are getting the most per month.

Mitzna later on Thursday inveighed against Bennett, comparing his Jewish Home coalitionmate  to Hamas — “if you subtract the terror.”

“In Israel’s government you have an organization, Jewish Home, that works toward the same goals as Hamas,” sabotaging efforts to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians, charged Mitzna.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s office released a statement saying that he condemned Mitzna’s “baseless” remarks.

“There can be diverse opinions in the Knesset but the argument must maintain appropriate boundaries of truth and fairness. Mitzna’s comments crossed both of these boundaries,” Netanyahu said.

Movement party head Tzipi
Livni has so far not responded
to demands for her to censure Mitzna for making intemperate remarks.

On Wednesday evening, the Security Cabinet said it would look into policies meant to discourage payments by the Palestinian Authority to current and former Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, Ynet reported.

Bennett suggested on Wednesday that taxes Israel collects for the PA (estimated at $100 million per month) has been used to pay the prisoners.

This article appeared in print on page 6 of the June 27th, 2014 edition of Hamodia.