MKs Against ‘Machsom Watch’

(IsraelNN.com) Members of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee were present at an IDF checkpoint in Samaria on Thursday when soldiers apprehended a teenaged terrorist carrying explosives in his backpack.  The MKs later spoke out against members of the extreme-left group “Machsom Watch,” who were also present during the incident. 

MK Nissim Zeev (Shas) responded to the incident by saying “It’s clear that the more leniency we allow at the checkpoints, the more we will allow free passage to terrorists.”  He called to create a law distancing Machsom Watch from checkpoints.

MK Otniel Schneller (Kadima) said the Machsom Watch volunteers had good intentions, and tried to create a balance between security and treating Arabs as well as possible.  However, he said “that balance is not theirs to make,” as the volunteers lack knowledge of what is or is not truly necessary for Israel’s security