Kahanism
Encyclopedia : K : KA : KAH : Kahanism
ideology of Rabbi Meir Kahane, and, more generally, to other right-wing Religious Zionist movements or groups that share a belief in the fundamental tenets of that ideology, chief among them being the idea that the State of Israel should be governed theocratically, should accord full citizenship exclusively to Jews, and that all non-Jews should be either deported - forcibly, if necessary - or allowed to remain as resident aliens with wide-ranging restrictions on their rights and freedoms.
Premises
The central claim of Kahanism is that all Arabs are, and will continue to be, enemies of Jews and of Israel, and that a Jewish fundamentalist state, absent of an Arab population and that includes Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip and also possibly areas of modern-day Jordan, should be created. The Kahanist movement proper also argues that such a state should be ruled according to Jewish theocratic law known as Halakha, but the term "Kahanist" is sometimes used loosely to describe any Zionist group which seeks a (often Arab-free) Greater Israel.
Outlawed
Since 1985, State of Israel has outlawed groups espousing Kahane's ideology as being racist, and forbids their participating in the Israeli government. The Kach party was banned from running for the Knesset in 1988, while the existence of the two Kahanist movements formed following Kahane's assassination were proclaimed illegal terrorist organizations in 1994 and the groups subsequently disbanded.
The banning of Kahanist groups is highly controversial. The banning stemmed from the explicit mention of the Arab population as enemies of the Jews who should be removed from Israel. Kahanists however deny any inherent racism and explain that the call to remove Arabs is based on the reality of Arab-Israeli Conflict and not on any inherent racism towards Arabs. Critics of the banning note that parties who have called for and subsequently carried out the forced removal of Jews have not been called racist let alone banned.
Alleged Kahanist actions in Israel and the West Bank
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Dr. Baruch Goldstein
The deadliest attack was when Baruch Goldstein, affiliated with Kach through the JDL, killed 29 Arabs at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, in 1994. After this attack, members of Kach praised Goldstein's actions, and in the insuing political turmoil, the Knesset banned Kach in Israel. Kahanists believe the attack prevented a repeat of the 1929 Arab massacre of Hebron's Jews.
Suspected Kahanist violence
Roadside shootings, stabbings and grenade attacks against Palestinians have been carried out in Jerusalem and the West Bank by individuals or groups suspected of having ties to the former Kach group. Aliases such as "The Committee for the Safety of the Roads" [link], "The Sword of David" and "The Repression of Traitors" have been used. There is no evidence that real organizations with these names exist. The US government, claims that these are all aliases of "Kach", [link].Eden Natan-Zada
On August 4, 2005, Eden Natan-Zada, an AWOL Israel Defense Forces soldier, murdered four Israeli Arab citizens and wounded several others when he opened fire on a bus in the northern Israeli town of Shfaram. Natan-Zada then surrendered to police who turned him over to an angry Arab crowd. Natan-Zada was beaten and killed by the mob. He had originally become involved with Kahanist activists via the internet, and hid from service in the religious West Bank settlement of Kfar Tapuach, home of deceased Kahane Chai leader Binyamin Kahane. No group has taken credit for Natan-Zada's attack or claimed that he was acting on their wishes, and members of the Kfar Tapuach community have condemned his attack against Arab civilians.
Kahanism in Israel Today
Former Kach leaders in Hebron today run the Hilltop Youth, particularly Noam Federman and Itamar Ben-Gvir. Baruch Marzel, another former Kach leader in Hebron is the head of the Chayil Party.
Former Kahane Chai leaders in Kfar Tapuach are today split between the factions of Mike Guzofsky and David HaIvri. Guzofsky runs the Jewish Legion, the Voice of Judea, and Kahane.org. HaIvri runs Revava and HaMeir L'David.
Kahanism in the USA
The main Kahanist groups in the United States are the Kahane Net which runs the Kahane.org Website and the Jewish Task Force. Kahane Net was formed out of the remnants of "the Kahane Movement" of Mike Guzofsky. The latter was formed by former Kahane Chai leadership after its disbanding. JTF supports the former Hebron leadership of Kach. They raise money for their allies in Israel. JTF splits its political ideological focus between Israel and America. The current Jewish Defense League and its offshoot B'nai Elim are associated with Kahanism since the former was founded by Rabbi Kahane. However, their focus is the protection of Jewish communities from attacks by street thugs and Anti-Semites. They are not directly involved in Kahanist politics and openly support mainstream democracy in Israel, something typically rejected by Kahanists.
See also
External links
- [An analysis of terrorism]
- [Palestinian victims of terrorism]
- [An analysis and history of Kahane and Kahanism, based on an episode of "Frontline"]
Kahanist and Kahane related websites
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