Kach
Kach and
Kahane Chai are radical Jewish organizations. They have been declared illegal by
Israeli authorities for supporting acts of
terrorism against the Israeli-Arab minority, and
Israel's government. According to the United States State Department, their activities include:
- Organize protests against the Israeli Government. Harass and threaten Palestinians in Hebron and the West Bank. Have threatened to attack Arabs, Palestinians, and Israeli Government officials. Have vowed revenge for the death of Binyamin Kahane and his wife. [1]
Initially, Kach was led by
Meir Kahane. The party participated in the 1984 elections, where it won a single seat (held by Kahane) in the
Knesset. Shortly afterwards, the Knesset voted for changing Israel's basic law (which has a constitutional status), in a way that would forbid
racist movements from balloting in elections to the Knesset. Kahane appealed to the Israeli Supreme Court, but it supported the law and he was not allowed to participate in the following 1988 elections.
Following Kahane's assassination in 1990, the movement split into two overlapping groups: "Kach" and "Kahane Chai" ("Kahane Lives"). Kahane Chai was led by Meir's son Binyamin until he was murdered by Palestinian terrorists in 2000. Both were outlawed by Israel in 1994 under anti-terrorism laws following statements in support of Baruch Goldstein's massacre of Arabs at the Cave of the Patriarchs.
They still retain several hundred hard-core supporters, including support from individuals in the United States and Europe.
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See also