Ministers and Members of Knesset reacted Sunday to the terrorist attack in Pesagot on Saturday night in which a terrorist shot a 9-year-old girl at close range. Thankfully, the girl was in good condition Sunday following emergency surgery.

Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting, Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz warned that the attack does not bode well for diplomatic talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

“There’s an anomalous situation here where on the one hand, Abu Mazen [Abbas] talks about the diplomatic process, and on the other hand, groups that are affiliated with Fatah carry out terrorist attacks in Israel and Abu Mazen does nothing to prevent it,” he said.

PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, heads the Fatah organization. A branch of Fatah, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, recently declared an open terror war on Israel.

Several Members of Knesset had reportedly planned to meet with Abbas in Ramallah on Monday to express their support for the ongoing Israel-PA talks. Katz called on them to cancel their visit in light of recent events.

MK Aryeh Deri (Shas) expressed horror at the attack in a post to Facebook. The fact that the young girl is in remarkably good condition considering the nature of the attack “does not reduce the seriousness of the act, or the need to fight terrorism,” he said.

A situation in which a young girl cannot feel safe in her own home in the land of Israel “is completely unacceptable. We cannot allow terrorists to rule us,” Deri declared.

Terrorists must learn that terrorism will take them further away from their goals, he added.

MK Yoni Chetboun paid a visit to Psagot to express his solidarity with residents of the town. There, he issued a call for immediate military action.

“I demand that the Prime Minister and Defense Minister approve an immediate military operation to restore security to this region, and, no less important, to restore the deterrence that has been worn down in recent weeks,” he said.

“If terrorism rears its head, we must obliterate it – not show it respect,” Chetboun added.

Like Katz, Chetboun warned that the attack, along with the recent slayings of two soldiers, does not speak well for negotiations with the PA. “Israel has been given an additional reminder that while it talks peace, the other side is talking war,” he warned.