An Arab Israeli lawmaker has come under fire for calling the members of the armed West Bank Palestinian Lions’ Den group killed during an Israeli military operation in Nablus “martyrs.” Joint List lawmaker Aida Touma-Sliman wrote in a post on Facebook on Tuesday: “The more the occupation increases its crimes, the resistance escalates. An important lesson in the history of nations.”
Israeli forces killed six Palestinians and injured 20 others in clashes in the West Bank early Tuesday. Five were killed in a raid on the Nablus headquarters of the Lions’ Den armed group and a sixth in violence near Ramallah.
The Lions’ Den group has claimed responsibility for several shooting attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers in recent weeks.
Touma-Sliman also tweeted about the raid: “6 Palestinians killed in one night. Their blood is on the hands of [Prime Minister Yair] Lapid and [Defense Minister Benny] Gantz. Stop the terror of the occupation, enough of the bloodshed! Isn’t it time to understand that the more you deepen the occupation, the more you provoke the resistance?!”
6 פלסטינים הרוגים בלילה אחד. דמם על הידיים של של לפיד וגנץ. עצרו את טרור הכיבוש, די לשפיכות הדמים!
לא הגיע הזמן להבין שככל שמעמיקים את הכיבוש מעוררים את ההתנגדות?!— MK Aida Touma-Sliman (@AidaTuma) October 25, 2022 [1]
The social media posts could see Touma-Sliman, a member of the Hadash party, running afoul of Israel law, which prohibits Knesset candidates from, among other things, supporting an enemy state or terror organization against Israel.