The Israeli terrorists who burned the 18-month old Palestinian infant Ali Daobash on Friday are not the only culprits.

To be sure, such an unprovoked brutal attack would not have been possible were it not for the tolerance of the subsequent Israeli governments — over the years — with violence of the extreme right. More often than not, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians and got away.

Tensions were running high for some times across Jordan. Hence, it is not as if the latest attack on the Palestinian family has come out of the blue. Indeed, the most recent political discourse in Israel created an atmosphere conducive to violence.

The implementation of the court order, which is linked to the demolition of some illegal building in settlement, provided the chance for politicians to outbid each other. Even Cabinet members in the government made it perfectly clear that the government would continue building despite the court’s order.

It is hard to believe that the incitement against Palestinians that accompanied this political debate did not play a role in the attack on the Palestinian family.

Let’s get to the bottom of the issue. For Israel to be able to deal with Jewish terror, the government needs to hold those people accountable.

Settlers have to internalize that their terror acts will not go unchecked. Short of doing that, Israeli settlers will most likely continue their terrorist acts against Palestinians whenever a chance rise. At a deeper level, Israelis should understand that it is hardly possible for them to rein in terrorism without putting a cap on settlement activities.

And yet, it seems that no Israeli government can do that without a price tag imposed by the international community.

Seen from a different angle, Jewish fanatics living in settlements seek to ignite a religious war. They believe that developments unfolded in the region over the past few years have provided them with a golden opportunity to expand. All in all, they do not abide by even the Israeli law because they deeply believe in their own concept of redemption.

To them, their right in building settlement in all of the occupied territories is a divine right and no government has the right to stop them. Obviously, if the government fails to crack down on them, they will most likely drag Israel in a religious war.

The incidents of last week demonstrate that settlers have a determination to win over all Israelis. It seems as if Israeli politicians have no guts to stand up to settlers even when they commit a course of action that will only aggravate the situation in the occupied territories.

As Gideon Levy from Haartez succinctly put it, “The politicians too — almost all of them, anyway — have learned that they cannot anger one interest group in this country.

The settlers were the first to catch on to the lobbying and blackmail politics, and all of Israel’s governments, particularly those run by the Labor Party, gave in unconditionally.

There’s no other interest group that threatened government ministers more, no group to which the politicians capitulated more. Even the Israel Defense Forces, which knows a thing or two about belligerence and power, rapidly understood the settlers’ destructiveness and was quick to act accordingly.”

Perhaps, it is a high time for some political forces to stand up and say something. It is not enough for some leftist writers to criticize the settlers and their attacks on Palestinians.

If Israel is serious about tranquility in the occupied territories — and I am not talking about peace — the government has to prove that it calls the shots. If things continue the way they are, then it will be fair to say that the government is complacent and therefore it should be seen as another culprit in all terror attacks on Palestinians.

Netanyahu has condemned the terrorist attack and promised to take a strong line against the settlers. It remains to be seen however if this is just a normal statement to alleviate the international condemnation or a reflection of a different reading.