Israel’s Deputy Speaker praises fascist Kahane

JVL Introduction

There was a time when Meir Kahane  was considered a terrorist and a fascist and too far to the right and too extreme even for Netanyahu’s right wing political party Likud.   Now, however, Netanyahu has struck deals with openly fascistic members of parliament (MKs) and the Deputy Speaker – also from Likud – has said it was wrong to have turned their backs on Kahane, who advocated  for the expulsion of all Arabs and whose followers murdered and injured hundreds of people.

Despite supposed banning of racist parties, it is clear that those who think the same as Meir Kahane have gained support in Israel and when people such as Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich are brought into government with portfolios giving them control over security and over the Occupied Territories, it is clear that Kahane’s views have become become normalised.  Some in Israel are objecting but there are also some “liberal” supporters of the State of Israel who have failed to realise how far things have deteriorated.

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This article was originally published by Ha'aretz on Wed 12 Nov 2025. Read the original here.