MK under fire after saying killing of Palestinians 'not terrorism'

MK Bezalel Smotrich (Habayit Hayehudi) came under fire on Thursday after saying a firebombing that killed 3 Palestinian family members last summer in Samaria was not terrorism.

In an op-ed published by the right-wing weekly B'Sheva, Smotrich criticized the harsh measures taken against those who are believed to be behind the July 31 attack in the Palestinian village of Duma. "The murderous attack in Duma was horrific, but it was not terrorism," Smotrich wrote. "Those who call it terrorism are wrong; they are responsible for a grave and unwarranted infringement of human and civil rights," he continued, noting that those who share this view "throw around the word terrorism to the point that they ultimately undermine counterterrorism efforts themselves."

The July 31 Duma attack was among the deadliest Jewish-perpetrated attacks in recent years. Eighteen-month-old Ali Dawabsha was killed that night. His father, Saad Dawabsha, succumbed to injuries suffered in the fire on Aug. 9 at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, and the boy's mother, Riham, died at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer four weeks later. In the wake of the attack, the Israeli government pledged to crack down on violent far-right Jewish groups and began implementing administrative detentions -- detention without trial -- on Israeli citizens suspected of political violence against Palestinians.

Last week, a breakthrough was announced after several suspects were arrested. All but one have been held in administrative detention for more than a week despite protests by family members and supporters, who say the Israeli authorities are abusing their powers.

In his op-ed, Smotrich goes on to explain that "terrorism can only be applied to violence perpetrated by Israel's enemies as part of their war against us, and only such violence merits such draconian measures [against suspects]." He adds, "all other forms of violence are just grave offenses, but they are not terrorism."

Smotrich's comments drew criticism from both sides of the political spectrum, including from Habayit Hayehudi Chairman Naftali Bennett. "Anyone who throws a Molotov cocktail on a residential home is a terrorist, period," Bennett said on Twitter.