Savoring a Divisive Victory

One politician who was not invited to visit the presidential residence last week was Rabbi Meir Kahane, 52, the Brooklyn-born head of the Kach Party. Not that the snub dismayed him. The founder of the New York City-based Jewish Defense League, who emigrated to Israel with his special brand of right-wing extremism in 1971, was still savoring one of the most divisive victories in last month's elections. Three times before, he had tried and failed. His success was yet another indication that the Israeli electorate was shifting to the right.

"To all those who say Kahane is dangerous, I say yes," he boasted to several hundred supporters at a Jerusalem rally. "They say Kahane wants to get rid of the Arabs. Correct. I want to get rid of all the Arabs." As his first act in the Knesset, he vowed, he would propose a bill to expel the 700,000 Arabs who are Israeli citizens, as well as the 1.3 million who live in the occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Kahane's election (with 1.2% of the national vote) set off widespread indignation. In a rare public comment, former Prime Minister Menachem Begin declared, "My friends and I have nothing in common with the man." An aide to Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir insisted that Kahane was "not acceptable under any circumstances" in a Likud-led government. While Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek called for a law that would make the espousal of racist views illegal, Israel's state-owned radio kept Kahane's more inflammatory statements off the air.

According to U.S. law, Kahane could lose his U.S. citizenship for holding office in a foreign government. But the Justice Department, following recommendations from the State Department, will not rule on Kahane's case until he takes his Knesset seat. Furthermore, some U.S. officials believe that if the decision goes against him, Kahane could successfully challenge it in court.

Israelis were particularly concerned that Kahane, who has repeatedly been arrested in Israel for inciting riots and disturbing the peace, would take advantage of the fact that members of the Knesset enjoy legal immunity. He has said he will openly break the law whenever he feels it is inconsistent with traditional Judaic law, which was handed down by God.