ISRAELI PEACE NOW ACTIVIST TARGET OF BOMB ATTACK

Professor Ze'ev Sternhell (pictured here), the victim of a pipe bomb attack at his home on Thursday, spoke out against the incident, saying that "if this act was not committed by a deranged person but by someone who represents a political view, then this is the beginning of the disintegration of democracy."

The small pipe bomb exploded on Thursday at around 1:00 A.M. at the entrance to Sternhell`s home. The professor was lightly wounded by the blast and taken to Shaarei Tzedek Hospital in Jerusalem for treatment.

Pamphlets calling for the physical assault of left-wing activists were found near the professor's home on Wednesday night, reportedly promising a NIS 1,100,000 reward to anyone who murdered someone associated with the Peace Now organization.

Sternhell, a Haaretz columnist and left wing activist, was lightly hurt in the bombing. He was being treated at Jerusalem's Shaarei Tzedek hospital. Sternhell, an internationally renowned expert on the history of fascism, was awarded the country's highest honor, the Israel Prize, earlier this year. The award drew fire from West Bank settlers and their supporters, who unsuccessfully petitioned Israel's Supreme Court to try to block it.

Sternhell is a veteran supporter of Peace Now, most recently addressing the audience at an event marking 30 years of Peace Now and only last month attended a Peace Now tour to Hebron that was denied entry by police due to settler violence and threats.

"On the personal level," Sternhell told Haaretz, "if the intent was to terrorize, it has to be very clear that I am not easily intimidated; but the perpetrators tried to hurt not only me, but each and every one of my family members who could have opened the door, and for that there is no absolution and no forgiveness."

A statement from Peace Now read in part:

"Peace Now activists are not surprised by this new wave of threats and violence, in particular the recent fliers, being distributed among the rightist population, promising a 1million shekel prize to anyone who murders a Peace Now member."

Since the murder of Peace Now activist Emil Grunzweig in 1983, Peace Now has been warning the police and the IDF that law enforcement authorities must abandon their lenient policy when it comes to law-breakers from within the settler community and their supporter. It is clear that those who don't enforce the law on violent settlers in the territories will find himself with a Jewish terror organization in the heart of Israel."

Today yet again we see that there are extreme factions amongst the right wing that are willing to use any means to reach their goals. The settlers that yesterday attacked Palestinians and Israeli soldiers serving in the West Bank, are those today attacking Israeli citizens within Israel."

These extremists have already established websites of hate threatening Peace Now members, and Peace Now demands that the Interior Minister commands the police force to cut this phenomena at its roots, and begin to immediately arrest and punish those who actions pose a serious threat to the very fabric of Israeli democracy."

Most, but not all Israeli government and political figures condemned the attack.

Israeli fascist activist Baruch Marzel denied that his organization, the National Jewish Front, was involved in the attack against the professor, but would not condemn it. Marzel said that "we are not condemning the incident because in the past, Professor Sternhell expressed his views that it was legitimate to hurt settlers."

Wondering what the National Jewish Front (or Jewish National Front) is? Here are the principles of the Jewish National Front, Chazit HaYehudit Leumit, from their of website. The original is in Hebrew, and an English translation is provided.

א. מפלגת “חזית יהודית לאומית” קמה על מנת לתת תנופה מחודשת למפעל ההיסטורי של שיבת עם ישראל לארצו, ולהביאו להשלמתו, היעד הוא הבטחת חרותו, עצמאותו המדינית ושלומו של עם ישראל בארצו האחת, כדי שיהיה מוכן למלא את יעודו ההיסטורי מאז ומקדם: ארץ ישראל לעם ישראל על פי תורת ישראל, על כל משתמע מכך בחומר וברוח, בחול ובקודש.

1. The ” Jewish National Front ” party arose in order to give a renewed push to the historical process of a return of the People Of Israel in its land, and to bring in due time, the goal that was promised Israel, which is the political independence and peace of The State Of Israel in its one country. This is in order that it may thence fulfill its historical destiny. The Jewish National Front promotes : The Land of Israel to the People of Israel according to the Torah of Israel, as understood in substance and in spirit, in the secular world and in holiness.

ב. מטרת הציונות היתה להביא את רובו של עם ישראל לרובה הגדול של ארץ ישראל. מנגד, מטרת הטרור הערבי היתה תמיד, עד היום ממש, ליצור פחד, חרדה וחוסר ביטחון אישי ולאומי, בכדי לזרוע יאוש ולמנוע את ההתקדמות התנועה הציונית, ובהמשך המדינה היהודית, לעבר מימוש יעדיה. הטרור הערבי שואף לדחוף את היהודים בארץ ישראל ל”תחום המושב”. לסגור אותנו בגטאות מאחורי גדרות הפרדה, ולבסוף להשמיד את עם ישראל ומדינתו. זהו המניע העמוק של הטרור, “חזית יהודית לאומית” תפעל לעקירתו משורשו.

2. The goal of the Zionism was to bring most of the People of Israel to the greatest portion of the land of Israel. From the beginning, the goal of the Arab terror has always been, and still is today, to create fear, panic and lack of personal and national security, in order to sow despair and to prevent the progress of the Zionist movement, and following the establishment of the Jewish state, across materialization of her objectives. The Arab terror lives to push the Jews in Israel ”into reservations”, to close us into the ghetto behind fences of separation, and lastly to destroy the People of Israel and their state. This is the basic motive of the terror, and the ” Jewish national front ” will act to pull it up from its roots.

ג. “החזית” קובעת כי אסור להיכנע לתחושת הרגע ואין ללכת שולל ולהתפתות למקסמי שווא בשל בעיות חמורות בביטחון, בכלכלה ובחברה, אלא יש להמשיך לפעול באמונה להגשמת יעדיו ההיסטוריים של עם ישראל בארץ ישראל, להביט קדימה בהכללה, ולגזור את הפתרונות הנכונים והחוקים ששירתו את המטרה העליונה

3. “The front ” declares that it we are not allowed to yield to short term impulses or to approach an enemy and be seduced by false enticements. There are severe problems in security, in the economy and in society, but you have to continue to act faithfully towards the attainment of the historical goal of the People of Israel in the Land of Israel; to look ahead to the broad view, and to make the right decisions, and laws that serve the higher goal.

ד. “חזית יהודית לאומית” קובעת כי כיבוש הארץ מוסרי וגירוש האויב מוסרי. תורת ישראל היא המקור הראשוני לכלל ערכי המוסר האנושיים, ולפי שהיא המצווה על ישראל לכבוש ולשחרר את הארץ, אין דבר מוסרי יותר מאשר כיבוש ושחרור ארץ ישראל על ידי עם ישראל, “החזית” קובעת שפינוי האוייבים מהארץ יפתור מן היסוד את כל בעיותיה החמורות של המדינה באשר הוא ינתק את הטרור משורשו וירחיק את מלחמה במקום ובזמן. כתוצאה מכך יתאפשרו ויבואו השקעות גדולות, תיירות המונית, צמיחה, בניין לפיתוח. האבטלה תצומצם למינימום, יהיו מקומות עבודה לכולם, והשכר יהיה נאה. פינוי האוייבים יביא בטחון אישי ולאומי , שגשוג כלכלי ותרבותי ופתרון למצוקות החברתיות.

4. “Jewish national front ” declares that occupying the land is moral and deportation of the enemy is moral. The Torah of Israel is the first source for the principled rule of humane ethics, and according to that it is commanded for Israel to conquer and to redeem the country. There is not a thing more morally approved than the conquering and redeeming of the Land of Israel by the People Of Israel. ” the Front ” determines that the deportation of the enemies from the Land will fundamentally solve the severe problems of the state, because it will tear out the terror from the roots and remove war from this place at the same time. As a result of which, big investments will come in, there will be growth in tourism, and thriving building and development. Unemployment will be reduced to a minimum, there will be jobs for all, and the wages will be good. Deportation of the enemies will bring personal and national security, economic and cultural prosperity and solutions to social problems.

ה. היעד האסטרטגי של מדיניות “החזית” יהיה לבסס רוב יהודי גדול ממערב לנהר הירדן, בדרך להחלת ריבונות ישראלית מלאה על כל ארץ ישראל המערבית. היעד יושג על ידי עידוד הגירה נחוש והחלטי מצד אחד, ועל ידי עידוד ילודה בקרב היהודים ויצירת תנאים נוחים לעליית יהודים המונית לארץ, מן הצד השני .לאחר שתתחולל תמורה דמוגראפית יסודית ויהיה רוב יהודי משמעותי ובלתי ניתן לעירעור, תחיל הממשלה ריבונות ישראלית מלאה על כל הארץ.

5. The strategic objective of the policy of ” the front ” will be to base most of the Jewish population increase west of the Jordan River, on the way to exercising full Israeli sovereignty for the western part of Israel. The goal will be met by strong immigration incentives on the one hand, and on the other hand by birth incentives for Jews and the creation of comfortable conditions for Jews to move to the country from other areas. After that because of basic demographics Jews will be the significant majority and without protest, the government of Israel will begin to have full sovereignty over the land.

ו. “חזית יהודית לאומית” תפעל לחינוך העם היהודי בארץ ובתפוצות לאור החזון החדש .היא תחנך לרעיונות יהודים ולאומיים ותביא להזדהות פנימית ולכידות מטרה בעם ,לכידות שהתרסקה בשלושים השנים האחרונות ,והצמיחה תחתיה קיטוב חברתי, פער כלכלי מהגבוהים במדינות המערב ועוני המוני עד כדי חרפה.

6. “Jewish national front ” will make a national education program for Jews in the Land and in the Diaspora to start a new direction. It will teach the concept of the Jewish national identity and bring them to an inner identity and a national cohesiveness of goals, a cohesiveness that crashed in the last thirty years. With that crash came social polarization, large economic gaps in the western nations and mass poverty to the point of disgrace.

ז. “החזית” מודעת לחשיבותם הגדולה של ירושלים והר הבית בתודעה היהודית ולהיותם מוקד המלחמה על הארץ. “החזית” תפעל להעמקת התודעה והקשר הנפשי אל העיר, לחיזוק האחיזה היהודית ולהחלת ריבונות מלאה בירושלים כולה.

7. “The Front “, is aware of the great importance of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount in the Jewish consciousness, and that they are the focus of the war on the Land. “the Front” will act to increase the consciousness and the spiritual connection to the city, for the strengthening of the Jewish determination to exercise full sovereignty in all of Jerusalem.

ח. “החזית” קובעת שממשלות ישראל בשלושים שנה האחרונות הגבירו את תיאבון האויב לאדמה הישראלית ואת התאוות הרצחנות שלו, שכן הכניעה והויתור על חלקי ארץ ישראל ועל המשך ההתקדמות המדינה היהודית להגשמת יעדיה, מתפרשים לאויב נכון שהנה הטרור והרצח משתלמים באשר הם גורמים ליהודים לברוח ולהסתגר בגטאות, מאחורי החומות בטון וגדרות הפרדה. “חזית יהודית לאומית” תפעל בניגוד גמור למגמות הפייסנות והכניעה של ממשלות ישראל בעשורים האחרונים. “החזית” תפעל לשינוי ערכים יסודי והיכן שיהיה צורך, להיפוך ערכים: מדינה יהודית של העם היהודי - בכל מרחבי ארץ ישראל!

8. “The front ” declares that the Israeli governments in the last thirty years have increased the lust of the enemy for Israeli land, and his murderous greed. Entrenched in capitulation and in the surrender of parts of the Land of Israel and dragging the Jewish State steadily towards meeting their goals, the enemy correctly interprets that here the terror and the murder pay off because they cause Jews to flee and stay in ghettos, from behind the concrete walls and separation fences. “Jewish national front ” will operate opposite to the trends of appeasement and Israeli government capitulation in the last decades. “The front ” will act to the change basic values and where necessary, reverse the values : The nation of Israel for the Jewish people in the whole land of Israel!

The following is from Monsters and Critics.com

Anti-occupation Israeli professor wounded by pipe bomb

Jerusalem - A pipe bomb exploded early Thursday morning next to the home of a prominent Israeli political scientist and critic of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, lightly injuring him.

Some hours later police found leaflets offering over one million shekels (290,000 dollars) to anyone who kills a member of the dovish Peace Now protest group.

Professor Ze'ev Sternhell was locking up his house in Jerusalem when the device exploded. He was wounded in the legs and was taken to hospital for treatment.

Police set up a special team to investigate the incident and beefed up security around Peace Now Secretary-General Yariv Oppenheimer, following the discovery of the leaflets.

Israel Radio quoted police sources as saying the evidence pointed to extreme right-wing elements being responsible for planting the device that wounded Sternhell.

According to newspaper reports, Sternhell, 73, has been receiving threatening telephone calls for some time. Earlier this year a nationalist group, outraged by his critical comments about Israeli settlers and settlements, petitioned the High Court against his being awarded the Israel Prize, the country's highest civilian honour.

'I criticize that which needs to be criticized, to tell the truth even when it is unpleasant. That to me is the definition of what a good researcher is,' he said when he received the award.

Politicians from across the Israeli political spectrum united in condemning the blast.

'We are returning to the sinister phenomenon of using bombs against people, in this case against a very capable man who has never been afraid to voice his opinion, because his position, which is the peace camp's position, is that of a liberal voice, a democratic voice, a sane voice amidst the incitement,' Defence Minister Ehud Barak said.

'We will not allow anyone, from any dank corner of Israeli society, to persecute anyone else,' he said.

'A dirty wave of radical and violent fanaticism is washing over Israeli society,' Ophir Pines-Paz, of the Israel Labour Party, said. He said he would convene the Knesset Interior Committee 'to ensure that the law enforcement agencies in Israel are prepared for this and know how to stop it in its tracks.'

'Even though I disagree and am a bitter rival of the contemptible things that Ze'ev Sternhell wrote about settlers and people whom he doesn't agree with, I think that such a contemptible act is wrong,' legislator Zvulun Orlev, of the pro-settlement National Religious Party, said.

Hawkish legislator Yuval Steinmatz, who once belonged to Peace Now before he changed his views, called the attack on Sternhell an attack on Israeli democracy and on the State of Israel.

'This is very dangerous and I condemn this with full force and hope that the ones responsible are caught and punished severely,' he said.


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