Terrorism at Church of the Annunciation

Apparently, three Israeli Jews set off firecrackers and planned to set off gas canisters at the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth earlier today. Nazareth is the largest Arab town in Israel. Israeli Internal Security Minister Gideon Ezra says that "this was not a (terrorist) attack."

Really? A Jewish man with a history of threatening to attack Christian churches goes into one of the most important Christian churches in the Holy Land with two women and sets off firecrackers. His plans to set off gas canisters are thwarted. And this all takes place in the largest Arab town in Israel. But it isn't a terorrist attack. What if the situation were reversed? What if an Arab man with a history of threatening to attack Jewish synagogues had gone into one of the most important Jewish synagogues in Israel with two Arab women and set off firecrackers with plans to set off gas canisters? Are we really supposed to believe that the Israeli government would say that it would not be considered a terorrist attack in those circumstances?

Governments don't just get to arbitrarily decide when terrorist acts are or aren't terrorism. This was an act of terrorism just as it would have been an act of terrorism if it had been an Arab walking into a synagogue. The Israeli government should recognize it as such.