Jewish Terrorism in Israel

Columbia Studies in Terrorism and Irregular Warfare

by Ami Pedahzur, Arie Perliger

Ami Pedahzur and Arie Perliger, world experts on the study of terror and security, propose a theory of violence that contextualizes not only recent acts of terror but also instances of terrorism that stretch back centuries. Beginning with ancient Palestine and its encounters with Jewish terrorism, the authors analyze the social, political, and cultural factors that sponsor extreme violence, proving religious terrorism is not the fault of one faith, but flourishes within any counterculture that adheres to a totalistic ideology.

When a totalistic community perceives an external threat, the connectivity of the group and the rhetoric of its leaders bolster the collective mindset of members, who respond with violence. In ancient times, the Jewish "sicarii" of Judea carried out stealth assassinations against their Roman occupiers. In the mid-twentieth century, to facilitate their independence, Jewish groups committed acts of terror against British soldiers and the Arab population in Palestine. More recently, Yigal Amir, a member of a Jewish terrorist cell, assassinated Yitzhak Rabin to express his opposition to the Oslo Peace Accords.

Conducting interviews with former Jewish terrorists, political and spiritual leaders, and law-enforcement officials, and culling information from rare documents and surveys of terrorist networks, Pedahzur and Perliger construct an extensive portrait of terrorist aggression, while also describing the conditions behind the modern rise of zealotry.

Genres: History, Israel, Terrorism, Judaism, Politics, Nonfiction, Religion

264 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short, interesting book on the evolution and causes of Jewish terrorism in Israel. One big takeaway is how fortuitous it is that the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa mosque are still standing, given how many people have tried to destroy them over the years. One wonders, particularly under current circumstances, how long that luck will hold up and what kind of further cataclysm their destruction could unleash.

One truly outrageous passage does need to be called out. On page 123, with respect to the disengagement plan from Gaza and small parts of the northern West Bank, the authors state, “[Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon, similar to many other Israeli policy makers, felt that Israel, along with its military offensive response, should present conciliatory steps in order to break the deadlock between the two sides, and also encourage moderate Palestinians to resist prolonging the violence.” That is simply false. In fact, this is what Sharon’s senior advisor, Dov Weissglass, told the media at the time:

“The significance of the disengagement plan is the freezing of the peace process, and when you freeze that process, you prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, and you prevent a discussion on the refugees, the borders and Jerusalem. Effectively, this whole package called the Palestinian state, with all that it entails, has been removed indefinitely from our agenda. And all this with authority and permission. All with a presidential blessing and the ratification of both houses of Congress. That is exactly what happened. You know, the term 'peace process' is a bundle of concepts and commitments. The peace process is the establishment of a Palestinian state with all the security risks that entails. The peace process is the evacuation of settlements, it's the return of refugees, it's the partition of Jerusalem. And all that has now been frozen.... what I effectively agreed to with the Americans was that part of the settlements would not be dealt with at all, and the rest will not be dealt with until the Palestinians turn into Finns. That is the significance of what we did.”

Weissglas further stated, “The disengagement is actually formaldehyde. It supplies the amount of formaldehyde that is necessary so there will not be a political process with the Palestinians.”

I find it very difficult to believe that educated scholars of the region could seriously believe that the disengagement plan was intended to foster reconciliation, moderation and progress on peace talks. Whatever the explanation for their statement, it does raise questions about the reliability of the rest of the book. Hence the three stars.

[Jaylani Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book to know the situation today in Israel. Especially with Kahanism and people associated with it in politics.

[Jean-michel Pigeon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bonne synthèse du terrorisme juif en Israël autant contre les Israéliens que contre les Palestiniens.