On Feb. 4, the media reported a meeting in East Jerusalem between Knesset members from the Balad Party (part of the Joint List) and the families of perpetrators killed while attacking Israelis. The reports carried the impression that Knesset members Haneen Zoabi, Jamal Zahalka and Basel Ghattas wanted to convey their condolences to the families for the deaths of their sons. Yedioth Ahronoth's headline read, “Embracing Terrorists.” Many other news outlets used the term “condolence visit.”

According to Maan, the Palestinian news agency, the meeting was attended by the father of Baha Aliyan, who murdered three Israelis in an attack on a bus in the Armon HaNatziv neighborhood of Jerusalem on Oct. 3. The report went on to say that the Knesset members stood in a moment of silence in memory of the attackers. The legislators told a different story, stating that the objective of the meeting was to address the bureaucratic procedures of returning the bodies to their families. Their explanation did not, however, stop the event from becoming a huge public storm in Israel.

“I try to imagine what would happen in the British Parliament or the US Congress if MPs or members of Congress would stand at silent attention for murderers of British or American citizens. I think that there would be a very major outcry, and rightly so,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the weekly Cabinet meeting on Feb. 7. The prime minister further said that he would advance legislation to suspend Knesset members who meet with the families of terrorists. The Zionist Camp also stated in no uncertain terms that the meeting “encourages more terrorism and the murdering of innocent people.” Knesset member Ilan Gal-On from Meretz said that the Arab Knesset members had “lost their bearings.” Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan called for recently appointed Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit to find out whether that meeting constituted support of terrorism.

Balad members contend that if the prime minister’s legislation goes through, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked will have to be suspended too for meeting last December with the family of one of the suspects in the murder of the Dawabsha family from the West Bank village of Douma.