Rabbi Meir Kahane, Z"tl,
Still Slandered After Death
November 5, 1996

     Any time the word "fanatic" or "extremist" appears in the Israeli media, it seldom fails find 
attached to it the name of Rabbi Meir Kahane.  As we mark the sixth anniversary of his
martyrdom, the first Israeli Member of Knesset to be assassinated in the United States is still
maligned by his own people.  
     What is it that caused this charismatic Rabbi to aquire such unfair labels?  Were his ideals
beyond reason?  Did he exercise extreme and unusual methods to express his beliefs?  Certainly he
never minced words.  He spoke the truth plainly and openly with no attempt to cushion them in
pleasing terminology.  It was only out of fear and frustration, and genuine recognition that the
program suggested by Rabbi Kahane was the only real solution to prevent the destruction of the
Jewish state that the politicians of all persuasions hated him so.  His solution was unpleasant,
extremely difficult and certainly not without immediate danger.  It was so much easier to deny the
unpleasant truth and villify the only man who had the courage to espouse it, rather than accept
our painful lot and deal with it honestly.
     That is why, even now, when any fool can see that we are burying ourselves with a mis
named "peace process", the one man who tried the hardest to save us from it is still termed a
"racist".  
     The so called "right wing" Likud MK Michael Eitan, a man who only two years ago lived
in Hebron for a month to demonstrate his support for the Jewish Community here, has called for
the expulsion of "certain radical elements" from Hebron who could cause harm to the peace
process!  He was talking about Jews. . . not Arabs.  If this is the right who needs a left?  What
radical elements?  Every Jew in Israel is an obstacle to the peace which the Arabs are planning for
us.  The Israeli flag is the symbol of the reason why Arabs will not make peace with us. For, in the
final analysis the peace we will be asked to compromise will be the Israeli flag.   Will we go so far
as to give up our flag for peace?  That is really what it all boils down to.  Open your eyes and
watch how our peace partners burn our flag.  Listen to their declarations of intent to cleans
"Palestine" with fire and blood.  Yet we shake their hands, sign stupid suicidal agreements which
we insist upon honoring even as our "partners" spit on it.
     Rabbi Kahane was no extremist.  He was never a radical.  He was only honest.  We will
never make peace by rejecting our birthright.  We will never make friends by dishonoring
ourselves.  It was our foolish leaders who created the circumstances whereby there is no choice
but to remove our enemies from our homeland.  Had we been forthright from the outset, and
made it clear to the Arabs living in Israel that they had no hope to ever take our country from us,
then we could have been able to live together with them in peace.  Instead, we have given them
hope that they could eventually replace the Jewish State with an Arab one.  Today they are
convinced of it.  Nothing will change their convictions now.  Had we listened to Rabbi Kahane
tens of years ago, the war that is most certainly coming, may well have been averted.