(Arutz Sheva) Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan rejected allegations of police negligence in the lead-up to Sunday’s deadly terrorist attack in Jerusalem.

“There was no failure and there was no screw-up (on the police’s part),” Erdan said in an interview with Army Radio.

“People need to look at the bigger picture,” Erdan explained in response to those who say that yesterday’s attack marks a new escalation in the terrorist war against Israel. “We may quickly forget, but last year there were a number of similar incidents.

“If you look at it realistically, there has been a decline in the number of terrorist attacks in the past year.”

Erdan had harsh words for the Arabs in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria who praised the murders. “We live here with hundreds of thousands of Palestinian Arabs who sanctify death and celebrate the murder of an elderly woman.”

Yesterday, Erdan instructed police to take action against any act or demonstration of support for the terrorist attack. In the hours immediately following the attack, police stopped Arabs from giving out candy to celebrate the attack, prevented the erection of a tent of mourning in honor of the terrorist in the Shimon Hatzadik neighborhood, stopped Arab store owners from closing their stores in solidarity with the terrorist, and arrested an Arab who shouted “Allahu Akbar!” while filming the attack.

Erdan said that the solution to terrorism and incitement is for Israel to assert its sovereignty in East Jerusalem more strongly.