«Jewish extremism» is a term that is increasingly being used not by fringe anti-Semitic far-right media, but by serious Western commentators. And not just in relation to the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
This is how British journalist Jonathan Cook, author of three books on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, characterizes both Netanyahu and his policies. In his article reflecting on the course of Israel’s pre-election campaign, Cook writes that since coming to power, Netanyahu has moved further and further to the extreme right.
«First they were right-wing. Then ultranationalists. Now analysts are talking about Netanyahu as the leader of a far-right coalition. But it seems they are planning to go even further,» Cook writes.
To prove his point, the journalist points to the little-noticed fact that last month Netanyahu signed an agreement to cooperate with the extremist organization «Oleh Yehudit» («Jewish Power»), which represents the ideas of Meir Kahane, whose followers in the Kach group are recognized as a terrorist organization in many countries, including Israel itself.
The group’s leader, Michael Ben-Ari, openly calls not only for the revocation of citizenship or deportation from Israel of opponents of his occupation policies, but for their public execution. «If you speak out against Jews, you will not live. You will not be deported or lose your citizenship. You will not live! You will be put in front of a firing squad and killed — that is the only language the Arabs understand,» says the leader of the party with which the Israeli prime minister has signed a cooperation agreement.
Cook points out that Netanyahu has not only reached out to open Jewish extremists and terrorists, but has created a moral and political climate in which they have become participants in mainstream politics and part of the governing coalition.
He recalls that Netanyahu had previously taken a step in this direction by forming a coalition with the Jewish Home party, which is considered far-right, though not openly extremist.
Unfortunately, all these actions have consequences, and dramatic ones, that go beyond the pre-election campaign and the internal politics of Israel.
The expansion of the condemned Jewish colonization of Palestinian territories in violation of international law through the construction of so-called «Jewish settlements» (armed colonies), the confiscation of Palestinian land for these settlements, their eviction, the deprivation of citizenship, the increase in the number and brutality of acts of violence committed by the Israeli military against Palestinian civilians, the attempts to limit civilian control over the activities of the security forces, including the investigation of their crimes — all this is happening under Netanyahu’s rule.
In this situation, it is not surprising that members of the governing coalition are openly expressing ideas that until recently were the domain of extremists, banned not only in Western countries but also in Israel itself: calls for public executions, revoking the citizenship of Arab Israelis, deporting them, occupying the West Bank and Gaza in order to create a Greater Israel.
The upcoming elections will show to what extent this Jewish extremism reflects the mindset of Israeli society…