An estimated 6,000 Gush Emunim members and supporters marched through Jerusalem streets Tuesday to demonstrate outside Chief Rabbinate headquarters demanding Presidential pardons for Jewish underground members currently serving prison sentences for violent crimes against Arabs in the West Bank.
The demonstration, organized by the Gush Emunim, was supported by Rabbi Meir Kahane’s extremist anti-Arab Kach Party and members of the rightwing Tehiya Party. Virtually all of the demonstrators wore skull caps signifying membership in or sympathy with the Orthodox Gush Emunim.
Spokespersons said the convicted men were not terrorists but had acted in self-defense, an argument that carried little weight at their trials. President Chaim Herzog was reported in the media last week to have suspended consideration of amnesty for the convicted terrorists. A spokesperson for the President refused to confirm or deny the reports. He noted, however, that Herzog has made it clear on many occasions that he would not deal with amnesty requests under pressure from any quarter.
Reporting the stories that define our era. When history unfolds in real-time, the Jewish world turns to JTA. Your support ensures we can document the complexities of war and the resilience of Jewish communities with integrity.
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.
