           In the traditions of Rabbi Meir Kahane, z"l
                      by Gershon Ben Shabtai
                       February 11, 1992
               In Search of a Genuine Extremist Jew

       The Kach Party in Israel has always been considered to be a radical, extremist, and
racist party.  Yet none of those descriptions were ever true.  In fact, Kach has always been a
reasonable, conservative and religious party.  How then did it earn the reputation of extremist?
       The fact is that all such terminology is relative.  If you are seated in a library where
conversation, if any, is only done in whispers, should someone but speak a few words at a normal
conversational level, he would be considered a loud mouth.   
       In Israel there is no such thing as extreme right wing.  You either have an extreme left
wing which is prepared to do battle for our enemies; or a conservative left wing which feels the
need to act as a mediator and explain our enemies' position for them.  The Jewish position has
nearly no proponents and even Kach, a conservative religious party, went to great pains to
concern itself with the problems faced by our enemies.
       Had we a truly extremist right wing party in Israel, its platform would include the
immediate removal of all Arabs on pain of death; immediate and unconditional annexation of all
Jewish lands in our possession; the announced axiom that Jordan is Israel and that we want it
back; and the rejection of the concept of a Palestinian people as a legitimate nation.  The
adherents of such a party would be terrorists, in the true sense of the word, exacting vengeance by
killing ten Arabs (not water tanks or buildings) every time a Jew is murdered.
       Whether or not you agree with such tactics, don't worry, there is no such party in
Israel, nor is one likely to be formed.  Had one existed the intifada would have ended before it
began.
       Rabbi Kahane, z"tl, H'yd, even before he was a Member of Knesset, back in the days
when Golda was Prime Minister, sent out leaflets to Arabs asking them to sign up now for the big
transfer to come.  The premise was that when he came into power and transferred all the Arabs
out of Israel, those who signed up in advance would receive financial assistance from the Jewish
government.  He could have said, "Get out now while you still have your lives", but he never even
made such an inference.  He simply wanted a peaceful orderly population transfer for the good of
both Arabs and Jews.  At that time he got a very positive Arab response. Unfortunately he got a
very negative Jewish response as Golda had him imprisoned for his efforts.
       Today, of course, most Arabs would not agree to leave.  Why should they?  Not only
do they believe that Israel belongs to them, but every Jewish government has given them reason
to believe that perseverance on their part may well result in an eventual Arab state in place of the
Jewish one.
       Not one political party has been willing to honestly address the very real issue of the
only Arab peace plan-- to destroy Israel piece by piece and to replace it with an Arab "Palestine". 
To deny this reality and pretend that giving Jewish land to Arabs can achieve peace, will only
result in tragedy for Jews and the Jewish State.  I can understand Bush and Baker not wishing to
consider such facts, but an Israeli government?  It matters not who is in power, all Jews face the
same enemies.  No one asks the victims of Arab terror to which political philosophy they
subscribe.  Being Jewish is reason enough to be the recipient of an Arab knife in your back.  Why
do we refuse to face reality?
       We have desperately needed a violent extremist group to do the terrible things that will
embarrass the left into becoming moderate.  Without a real extremist, and now bereft of our only
conservative, we can only hope that Mashiach comes very soon.  