Premier Shimon Peres has denounced the philosophy of Kach Party leader Meir Kahane as the greatest danger to Israeli democracy and vowed that using democratic means, “we will fight against this incitement and defend the values of Israel, not only the land of Israel.”
Kahane and his followers demand the expulsion of Israel’s 700,000 Arab citizens as well as all Arabs living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Addressing a meeting of educators at Ramat Hasharon, Peres said, “Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that something so anti-Jewish, which stands in such contradiction of our historic heritage, would arise in the State of the Jewish people.”
He described “Kahanism” as a “sword of Damocles” hanging over a Jewish and democratic Israel. An organization which believes that “might is right” and that because “we are strong we’ll expel the Arabs, cannot know who in the end will be the mightier,” the Premier said.
He warned that those who hate anyone who belongs to a different people or who holds different views “will end up hating anyone who holds different views inside the country. Violence has no constraints,” he said. He deplored the apparent rise in popularity of Kahane’s movement. “I never imagined that young people and adults in Israel would be attracted to this idol worship,” he said.
According to recent polls, about 40 percent of Israeli youths sympathize with Kahane’s views and Kach, which holds one Knesset seat, would win five or six if elections were held now.
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