The logo of the Kach party.

Kach (כ"ך - kakh, acronym of כהנא לכנסת Kahana LaKneset "Kahane to the Knesset", alluding to the Irgun motto rak kakh: "only thus") was a far-right extremist political party in Israel founded by Rabbi Meir Kahane. After his assassination in 1990, it split into two movements, Kach and Kahane Chai (Kahana Hai: "Kahane Lives"). This article deals with both groups. Image File history File links Kach. ... Image File history File links Kach. ... Rabbi Meir Kahane. ... The modern Knesset building, Israels parliament, in Jerusalem Though similar-sounding, Beit Knesset (בית כנסת) literally means House of Assembly, and refers to a synagogue. ... Irgun poster showing their view of the Land of Israel Irgun (ארגון), shorthand for Irgun Tsvai Leumi (ארגון צבאי לאומי, also spelled Irgun Zvai Leumi), Hebrew for National Military Organization, was a militant Zionist group that operated in the British Mandate of Palestine from 1931 to 1948. ... Far right, extreme right, ultra-right, radical right, or hard right are terms used to discuss the relative position a group or person occupies within a political spectrum. ... A political party is an organization that seeks to attain political power within a government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns. ... Rabbi (Classical Hebrew רִבִּי ribbÄ«;; modern Ashkenazi and Israeli רַבִּי rabbÄ«) in Judaism, means teacher, or more literally great one. The word Rabbi is derived from the Hebrew root-word RaV, which in biblical Hebrew means great or distinguished, (in knowledge). In the ancient Judean schools (and among Sefaradim today) the sages... Rabbi Meir Kahane. ... This article is about the year. ...

Kach

Kahane's Kach maintained two central, political planks in their platform. The first was the proposed forced transfer of Arabs from the borders of Israel, including Israeli Arabs who did not accept the conditions of Ger toshav. The second was the establishment of a state for Jews inside the borders of Eretz Yisrael (the biblical land of Israel) ruled by traditional Jewish law (Halakha). The Arabs (Arabic: عرب ) are a large and heterogeneous ethnic group found throughout the Middle East and North Africa, originating in the Arabian Peninsula of southwest Asia. ... The Israeli Arabs, or 1948 Palestinians, are those Arabs who remained inside the borders of what would become Israel after 1948, when most Arabs fled the country in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War (see also Nakba). They make up roughly 20% of Israels population. ... Gerim or Geirim are literally Strangers sometimes refered to in The Hebrew Bible. ... The Land of Israel (Hebrew: Eretz Yisrael) refers to the land making up the ancient Jewish Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. ... Halakha (Hebrew: הלכה; also transliterated as Halakhah, Halacha, and Halachah) is the collective corpus of Jewish religious law, including biblical law (the 613 mitzvot) and later talmudic and rabbinic law as well as customs and traditions. ...

Kach candidates ran for seats in the Knesset in 1973, only two years after Kahane's arrival to Israel. It failed to attract the minimum number of votes (at the time, one percent). It continued to fail to win the minimum number of votes in the elections of 1977 and 1981. The party finally gained a Knesset seat in 1984 with Kahane as its only representative. The modern Knesset building, Israels parliament, in Jerusalem Though similar-sounding, Beit Knesset (בית כנסת) literally means House of Assembly, and refers to a synagogue. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1973 calendar). ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

This caused significant alarm among the Israeli political elite. In 1985, Basic Law: The Knesset (one of the Basic Laws of Israel) was amended to add section 7a, "Prevention of Participation of Candidates List." This provision ensured that: This article is about the year. ... The Basic Laws of Israel are a key component of Israels uncodified constitution. The State of Israel has no formal constitution. ...

A candidates' list shall not participate in elections to the Knesset if its objects or actions, expressly or by implication, include one of the following:

(1) negation of the existence of the State of Israel as the state of the Jewish people;

(2) negation of the democratic character of the State;

(3) incitement to racism.

The first clause was specifically targeted at the Progressive List for Peace, and the third clause at Kach. Both parties had been elected for the first time to the Knesset. This article needs to be wikified. ...

Before the 1988 elections, the Central Elections Committee disqualified both parties. Both appealed to the Supreme Court of Israel. The court upheld the disqualification of Kach, finding that its principles constituted "incitement to racism," but reversed the disqualification of the Progressive List for Peace. This effectively ended Kach's existence as a political party. 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Israeli Central Elections Committee is the body charged under the Knesset Elections Law of 1969 to carry out the elections for the upcoming Knesset. ... Frontal view The Supreme Court (Hebrew: בית המשפט העליון, Beit Hamishpat Haelyon ) is at the head of the court system in the State of Israel. ...

Split of Kach

Following Kahane's assassination in 1990 by an Arab, the movement split into two groups with similar ideologies and somewhat overlapping membership: Kach and Kahane Chai. Kach was originally led by Rabbi Avraham Toledano and later by Baruch Marzel out of Hebron. Kahane Chai was led by Meir's son Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane out of Kfar Tapuach until he and his wife were murdered in a random ambush by Palestinians in 2000. Both groups were outlawed by Israel in 1994 under anti-terrorism laws following statements in support of Baruch Goldstein's killing of Arabs at the Cave of the Patriarchs. Many of their leaders spent time in Israeli jail under administrative detention, particularly Noam Federman, who spent more than 6 months in lockup without being charged with a crime. They still retain several hundred hardcore supporters, including support from individuals in the United States, Canada, Europe, South Africa and Australia. Presumably, most of Kach's electorate moved to other parties such as Rehavam Zeevi's Moledet. The Arabs (Arabic: عرب ) are a large and heterogeneous ethnic group found throughout the Middle East and North Africa, originating in the Arabian Peninsula of southwest Asia. ... Rabbi (Classical Hebrew רִבִּי ribbī;; modern Ashkenazi and Israeli רַבִּי rabbī) in Judaism, means teacher, or more literally great one. The word Rabbi is derived from the Hebrew root-word RaV, which in biblical Hebrew means great or distinguished, (in knowledge). In the ancient Judean schools (and among Sefaradim today) the sages... Baruch Marzel is an American born right-wing Israeli settler from Hebron. ... Hebron (Arabic (help· info) al-Ḫalīl; Hebrew (help· info), Standard Hebrew Ḥevron, Tiberian Hebrew Ḥeḇrôn: derived from the word friend) is a town in the Southern Judea region of the West Bank of around 130,000 Palestinians and 500 Israeli settlers. ... Rabbi Binyamin Zeev Kahane Binyamin Zeev Kahane (October 3, 1966 – December 31, 2000) was the son of Rabbi Meir Kahane. ... Kfar Tapuach (כפר תפוח) is an Israeli settlement in the Samaria region of the West Bank, and has been viewed widely as the unofficial headquarters of the banned group Kahane Chai since 1990. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... The term terrorism is largely synonymous with political violence or the threat of violence, and refers to a strategy of using coordinated attacks that typically fall within the time, manner of conduct, and place commonly understood as unconventional warfare. ... Dr. Baruch Goldstein in medical clothes. ... The Cave of the Patriarchs is considered to be the spiritual center of the ancient city of Hebron. ... Noam Federman is a right-wing Jewish dissident in Israel. ... Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents of Earth which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiographic one. ... Rehavam Zeevi (help· info) (רחבעם זאבי-גנדי) (June 20, 1926 - October 17, 2001) was an Israeli general, politician and historian who founded the right-wing nationalist Moledet party. ... Moledet (Hebrew מולדת, literally homeland) is a small right-wing political party in Israel. ...

Following the banning of Kach and Kahane Chai the movements officially disbanded. The leadership of the former Kahane Chai formed an advocacy group known as The Kahane Movement. The group's activities consist mainly of maintaining the "Official Kahane Website". The Kahane Movement is listed on the United States' list of terrorist organizations as an alias for "Kach" though the group denies this.

The New Kach Movement existed during the period 2001 – 2003. It maintained websites posting Kahanist political commentary and held meetings with informal members. The organization was headed by Israeli-born student Efraim Hershkovits, who lived in Montreal, Canada. It had chapters worldwide as well as a youth movement, Noar Meir. Upon returning to live in Israel in 2003, Hershkovits disbanded the movement to avoid harassment by the Israeli government, advising its former members to support the Kahane Movement. After the organization had disbanded, its name was added to the United States' list of terrorist organizations as an alias for "Kach". Hershkovits was arrested on August 7, 2005 and placed in administrative detention for three months by Israeli authorities. Since Israel has no writ of habeas corpus, people in Israel may be incarcerated for months or years without any charges being brought. 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 7 is the 219th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (220th in leap years), with 146 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In common law jurisdictions, habeas corpus, or more precisely habeas corpus ad subjiciendum, is a prerogative writ which requires the addressee to produce in court a person in its custody and justify his or her imprisonment. ...

Kach's Effect Today

The United States Department of State designates the group as a terrorist organization [1] and says that it has: The United States Department of State, often referred to as the State Department, is the Cabinet-level foreign affairs agency of the United States government, equivalent to foreign ministries in other countries. ... This page is for organizations only. ...

• Organized protests against the Israeli Government.

• Organized protests against Palestinians in Hebron.

• Vowed revenge for the death of Binyamin Ze'ev Kahane and his wife.

The State Department also says that the group is suspected of involvement in a number of low-level attacks since the start of the Second Intifada in 2000. But several individuals in the US are challenging the terrorist designation in court, claiming that the Kahane parties have never participated in or taken credit for a single terrorist incident. Rabbi Binyamin Zeev Kahane Binyamin Zeev Kahane (October 3, 1966 – December 31, 2000) was the son of Rabbi Meir Kahane. ... The wreckage of a commuter bus in West Jerusalem after a suicide bombing on Tuesday, 18 June 2002. ...

In the 2003 elections former Kach leader Baruch Marzel ran as number two on the Herut party list. The party narrowly missed obtaining a seat. In 2004 he founded the Chayil Party. The Chayil Party is the Right Wing Israeli political party founded by Baruch Marzel. ...

Terrorist Attacks Associated with Kahanists

According to Council on Foreign Relations [2] Kach and Kahane Chai have been associated with a number of terrorist acts:

• In February 1994 Baruch Goldstein opened fire on Palestinian worshippers inside the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, killing twenty-nine people and wounding many others.

• In cases where Kahanists have not claimed responsibility, they did not condemn such violence and often glorified it.

• In the 1980s The Machteret, a terrorist group with links to Kach, staged several attacks, including attempts to kill Palestinian mayors.

• Israeli authorities have foiled Machteret's plans to blow up the al-Aqsa Mosque.

Dr. Baruch Goldstein in medical clothes. ... Hebron (Arabic (help· info) al-Ḫalīl; Hebrew (help· info), Standard Hebrew Ḥevron, Tiberian Hebrew Ḥeḇrôn: derived from the word friend) is a town in the Southern Judea region of the West Bank of around 130,000 Palestinians and 500 Israeli settlers. ... Al-Aqsa Mosque The Al-Aqsa Mosque (Arabic: المسجد الاقصى, (help· info), is part of the complex of religious buildings in Jerusalem known as either the Majed Mount or Al-Haram al-Sharif and the third holy site (the Noble Sanctuary) to Muslims and the Har ha-Bayit (Temple Mount) to Jews. ...

See also

• Jewish Defense League
• Jewish Task Force
• Kahanism

The Jewish Defense League (JDL) is a militant Jewish organization whose stated goal is protecting Jewish people and property from anti-Semitism. ... A screenshot of the JTF website. ... Speaking:US-born Rabbi Meir Kahane, leader of the Kach party in the Israeli Knesset. ...

External links

• The Official Kahane Website
• Books by Rabbi Kahane
• Terrorist Group Profiles: Kach and Kahane Chai (from the United States State Department)
• International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism: Kach and Kahane Chai
• PBS Frontline