Maof

A new "Jewish Terror Underground" has been caught recently in Israel. Not a bunch of "settlers" or "religious fanatics," but secular Jews living in "Red" Haifa - traditionally left-wing dominated - and a Russian immigrant in Ashdod. What will the Israeli Left and anti-religious forces say now?

Back in 1987, I began working on a story about the future in Israel. It was to be a political novel set in 1996. In it, most of Labor and Likud - the two largest political parties in Israel - had merged into the National Unity Party. Under the influence of political reform and raising the vote threshold to enter the Knesset -Israel's Parliament - the left of Labor and the right of Likud had separated, and merged with further-left and further-right parties. Rabbi Meir Kahane - of the far-right Kach Party - a rising threat to many, in 1987, was no longer on the political scene. Arafat had a Palestinian State in the West Bank and Gaza. And, just as the novel opens, King Hussein of Jordan dies.

Arafat then leads a movement to unite, Palestine and Jordan, while Israel's own fifth columnists, leftist politicians Shulamit Aloni, Yossi Sarid, and others, call for full civil rights and equality for the Israeli Arabs or autonomy. They themselves - the Israeli Arabs - in the mean time call for secession from Israel, and attachment to Palestine. Within this setting, terrorism against Jews has risen to atrocity proportions.

Just as things begin to really explode, the main character, a former "Peace Now" leader, enters center stage as a reconstituted right-wing extremist AKA "Jewish Terrorist," who organizes a movement to suppress the enemies of the Jews.

Let's fast forward to 2004 and do a scorecard thing...

Well, Likud and Labor haven't merged yet, but with Israeli Prime Minister Sharon's behavior lately, there's less and less difference between "Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee," they've "settled" into the middle of the political spectrum.  The Left and Right have pegged out contrarian positions that are irreconcilable. Rabbi Kahane is no longer with us, though his ideas continue to hold an audience. Old Yasser is "Rais - El Presidente" of the Palestinian Authority, we call him the "Chairman". And good old latrine building - with Jewish gravestones when he controlled the Old City of Jerusalem - King Hussein, is dead as a doornail. Israel's own Leftist goof-ups, have in fact apologetically "explained away" how a member of Israel's own parliament - Arab MK Azmi Bishara - could travel to Syria and give encouragement to Hezbollah. I guess it's not far from their own travels to El-Presidente Arafat in the Ramallah Hilton - i.e. Mukatah Prison - to give him encouragement to stay the cours
 e. Funny, they haven't been arrested and tried either. Israeli Arabs, well they haven't really decided yet. Some - with increasing frequency - are helping Palestinian terrorist groups to kill Jews, yet when Sharon recently suggested that maybe some Arab cities in the north - near the West Bank - might be transferred to Palestinian Authority - not thrown out of their homes as some dis-informationists in the media portrayed it as - just a change of citizenship, in the final agreement for peace - they started ranting how they like being Israelis. Go know!

Now we get to the main character, well maybe not a "Peace Now" leader, but in 2004, Israel has it's own "Hiloni" - i.e. secular - terrorist, and his name is Eliran Golan. At 22 he's been busy planting bombs against Arabs in the Haifa area for the last few years. He admitted to planting a bomb a few months ago under the car of Arab Member of Knesset, Issam Mahoul, which exploded as his wife pulled out of their driveway, no one was hurt. According to the police, under interrogation, Golan indicated he planned to carry out terror attacks against MK Mohammed Barakeh (Hadash), MK Ahmed Tibi (Hadash), and MK Azmi Bishara (Balad-National Democratic Alliance). He was caught with about 40 bombs in various stages of being built, police also found hand grenades, homemade pistols, and a homemade mortar in his basement.

Eliran has been quoted as saying, "I hate Arabs." His father, Meir, a civilian employee of the military, and a Russian immigrant, Yevgeny Grossman - who Eliran knew from a Security Guard course - have also been arrested on suspicion of being involved in the new "Jewish Underground". Eliran Golan called it, "Mador Ahad," or "Section One".

A few months ago, addressing the Herzliya Conference on Israeli security and strength, Shin Bet chief Avi Dichter, said that "Jewish terrorists" killed seven Arabs and wounded 19, in the first two years of the Oslo war. Eliran and his "group" were more active earlier in the war, and just recently re-activated before being caught. Who knows if those attacks Dichter referred to, were carried out by Eliran's group? But, contrast that with the more than 900 murdered, and over 6,000 injured, by Arab terror against Jews since the outbreak of the Oslo War in September 2000.

While I was reading the articles about Eliran Golan on the net, I realized there's a pattern here. In 1984, there was the so-called "Jewish Underground". In 1994, there was Dr. Baruch Goldstein and his Hebron thing, and now this. It seems to take Jews ten years to get fed up with being killed, waiting for the government to stop Arab terror, before responding. What is it, the "Jewish Ten Year Itch"???

But all jokes aside, for most of recorded time, Israelis on the Left of the political spectrum - and predominantly secular - have relished persecuting the Right, especially the Religious Right - i.e. "settlers" - blaming them for all the political violence in Israel. Most of the previous "Jewish Terrorists" we know of - compared to Hamas they aren't even beginners - were religious Jews, and the Israeli media never misses a chance to remind us. Well now, they have one of their own. All greasy haired, in his "punk" spiked hair cut. Let's just see how much the media plays with this one...

P.S. I can tell you, they've already started playing it down. At first they were calling it a "Jewish Underground," but now they're whitewashing it, and it's a "Hate Crime". But wait, if they can find a religious connection or even better, a "settler" connection, you'll hear about it big time.

The Israel Police blamed it on "pure hatred of Arabs," and MK Roman Bromfman - of the far-left Yahad Party - said, "See what hate can do?"  Gee, I wish they concerned themselves more, with the suicidal-genocidal hate-bombs directed against Jews. I think it's up to over 1,400 Jews murdered now, since "peace" broke out in 1993. See what hate can do?

Don't get me wrong, I don't support people going out and taking the law into their own hands, the right to direct self-defense being an exception. I believe the government should fight wars - see my articles, "The Call of the Israeli Apache" and "There is Only a Military Solution" for example. For what other reason does government exist, but to defend it's citizens? But I can understand people's frustration with the Israeli government, in not doing enough to put an end to Arab Terror. In fact, as I see it, that's why the 1984 and 1994 attacks occurred also, to pre-empt or stop, Arab attacks on Jews. Why else would Jews hurt Arabs?

Even Rabbi Kahane used to say, "I don't hate Arabs, I love Jews," and he didn't want to kill them, just pay them to leave Israel, so they would stop hurting Jews.

By the way, "Jewish Terrorists" in the past twenty years, haven't killed as many Arabs, as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the al-Aksa Brigades, the Tanzim, the PFLP and the DFLP, kill Jews in a month or two.

After the latest round of "Jewish Terrorists" were caught a few months ago, the so-called "Bat Ayin Gang" and a few others, the Israeli media quickly reminded us ad nauseum, all were "settlers" and religious Jews. Well, now it's spread to the more secular elements of Israeli society, even those living inside the "Green Line," i.e. pre-1967 Israel. I sure hope the Israeli government gets it, that Jews won't tolerate being killed ruthlessly forever. The Israeli government better step up heavy-handed actions against the enemies of the Jewish People, or face a growing willingness on the part of Israeli Jews - religious or secular - to take the law into their own hands.

Eliran Golan has already admitted the attacks. He's broken the barrier. Secular Jews and the Left in Israel can no longer claim only "settlers" and religious Jews are terrorists. "Jewish Terrorism" has become an equal opportunity project...

Ariel Natan Pasko is an independent analyst & consultant. He has a Master's Degree in International Relations & Policy Analysis.  His articles appear regularly on numerous news/views and think-tank websites, in newspapers, and can be read at: www.geocities.com/ariel_natan_pasko

(c) 2004/5764 Pasko

Russian version