Police Minister Shlomo Hillel warned yesterday that the government would consider outlawing the Jewish Defense League because of its admitted part in alleged arms smuggling attempts. “We will not countenance exploitation of our democratic society for actions which are outright violations of Israel’s sovereignty,” Hillel said on a radio interview.
On Friday, a second JDL member, Yosef Schneider, was arrested on suspicion of involvement in arms smuggling. Schneider, a Soviet immigrant, works as JDL secretary in Jerusalem. Last week, Abraham Hershkovitz, a JDL member, was remanded on the same charge. Schneider was released this afternoon.
Rabbi Meir Kahane, JDL leader, was interrogated by police in Tel Aviv Friday but was not detained. A police spokesman said the interrogation was curtailed because of the advent of the Sabbath, and it would be continued at a later date. Interviewed on the radio later, Rabbi Kahane said the JDL had not retreated from its intention to create an organization to fight Arab terror with terror.
He said the arrests in connection with arms smuggling pointed to “wickedness on the part of certain government quarters,” adding that the police had rejected his offer for those involved to tell all they knew and refrain from further illegal activities.
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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.
