Increasing Radical Nationalism in Israel

Some Israeli human rights organisations are expressing their worries about increasing Israeli racism towards the indigenous Palestinian "Israelis" of 1948. In their various reports, these organisations have confirmed that the trend in Israeli society is increasingly calling for the "emigration", the "ousting", or the "transfer" of these Palestinians.

Heading the list of the Israeli extreme right-wing parties stands the Yisrael Beiteinu Party led by the racist Avigdor Lieberman, who believes that Israel's "special" national security must be given first priority.

Lieberman's party adopts the extreme policy of forcing Palestinian Israelis, if they want to preserve Israeli citizenship, of declaring their allegiance to Israel as a Jewish state. In almost the same vein follows Shas the religious party of Oriental Jews.

This party is strongly against withdrawal from the 1967 Occupied Territories that the party terms as biblical lands.

The extremist stance of the party's spiritual leader, Ovedia Yousuf, is well known. He urged the Israeli Defence Forces, during the recent war on Gaza, to pour more "cast lead" over schools and hospitals.

"O God," he prayed, "may you pour your wrath over the goyim [gentile]; take revenge from the Arabs, annihilate their offspring, pulverise them, oppress them and erase them from above the earth!"

Another part, Ya'hdut Ha Torah, which represents the extreme religious ashkenazis (Western Jews), is even more extreme than Shas, especially in calling for ousting of the Palestinians of the 1948 areas. However, The New Mafdal party is considered the most extremist of all Israeli parties.

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