The Supreme Court ordered the Knesset Presidium today to allow Rabbi Meir Kahane, leader of Kach, to introduce two bills it had previously rejected on grounds that they included racist statements. One bill stated that only Jews could become citizens of Israel. The other for-bad marriages between Jews and non-Jews.
The court ruled that the Presidium was not authorized to bar the introduction of a bill which aimed to implement the platform of a Knesset member. The judges added that they had no choice but to follow the law strictly even if the price for doing so involved the expression of detestable views.
The judges said they understood the reasons the Presidium had turned down the bills. They concurred that the bills triggered horrible memories, and could damage Israel’s democratic character.
While the Supreme Court deliberated yesterday, several dozen persons demonstrated outside the Kach offices here. The demonstration was followed by sharp verbal exchanges between the anti-Kach group and several of Kahane’s supporters. Kahane himself was not in the office at the time.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
