Kach
Israeli authorities for commiting and supporting acts of terrorism against the Israeli Arab minority, and Israel's government. According to the United States State Department, their activities include:
- Organize protests against the Israeli Government. Harass and threaten Palestinians in Hebron and the West Bank. Have threatened to attack Arabs, Palestinians, and Israeli Government officials. Have vowed revenge for the death of Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane and his wife.
The actions of Kach and Kahane Chai have in fact gone far beyond the threats and harassment outlined by the US State Department, and have included killings, such as 29 Palestinians murdered by member Baruch Goldstein.
Initially, Kach was led by Meir Kahane. The party participated in the 1984 elections, where it won a single seat (held by Kahane) in the Knesset. Shortly afterwards, the Knesset voted for changing Israel's basic law (which has a constitutional status), in a way that would forbid racist movements from standing for election to the Knesset. Kahane appealed to the Israeli High Court of Justice, but it supported the law and he was not allowed to participate in the following 1988 elections.
Following Kahane's assassination in 1990, the movement split into two overlapping groups: "Kach" and "Kahane Chai" ("Kahane Lives"). Kahane Chai was led by Meir's son Binyamin until he was killed in an ambush by Palestinian militants in 2000. Both groups were outlawed by Israel in 1994 under anti-terrorism laws following statements in support of Baruch Goldstein's mass killings of Arabs at the Cave of the Patriarchs.
They still retain several hundred hard-core supporters, including support from individuals in the United States and Europe.
