Netanyahu, US Envoy Spar over Rule of Law in West Bank

JERUSALEM, Israel – On the day when Israel was burying a mother of six killed by a Palestinian terrorist in her home, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro ignited a minor firestorm on Monday when he implied that Israel did not treat Israelis and Palestinians in the disputed territories equally before the law.

"As Israel's devoted friend and its most stalwart partner, we believe that Israel must develop stronger and more credible responses to questions about the rule of law in the West Bank," Shapiro said during a speech at the annual Institute for Strategic Studies conference.

Shapiro said the recent indictment of Israelis in the murder of three members of an Arab family in an arson attack on their home in the village of Duma was "an important demonstration of Israel's commitment to prosecute acts of terrorism regardless of their source."

Netanyahu's office responded angrily to the comments.

"The words of the ambassador, on a day in which a murdered mother of six is buried and on a day in which a pregnant woman is stabbed, are unacceptable and incorrect," the prime minister said in a statement. "Israel enforces the law for Israelis and Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority is the one responsible for the diplomatic freeze and continues to incite and refuse talks."