Its supporters chanted, “Death to the Arabs.” Who is the far-right Israeli anti-Palestinian group Lahava?

Expelling the Palestinians to the Arab countries and annexing the occupied West Bank to Israel, calling for a ban on Christian Christmas, and urging a Jewish Israeli mannequin not to marry the Catholic actor Leonardo DiCaprio; It is the most prominent demand of the extreme right-wing Israeli organization Hahava.

He says the editor location “Middle East Eye” ( Middle East Eye ‘s ) Mustafa Abu Senyinh, this is only the tip of the iceberg, which is the most important demands of the striking attention of the organization Hava right – wing extremist anti-Palestinian recently gathered followers in the occupied East Jerusalem, chanting “Death to the Arabs” . Read also The deferred dream of Zionism .. Will the waters of the Nile reach Israel?The Washington Post: Netanyahu is allied with an extremist Jewish party that calls for the expulsion of Arabs from Israel Who are the Temple groups? And what gains can be achieved under an expected right-wing government in Israel?

The writer mentioned that these rallies in Jerusalem drew attention once again to the group, which was founded in 2005 by followers of the former Knesset member and founder of the extremist “Kach” party, Rabbi Meir Kahane.

And “Lahava” – which means in Hebrew “flame” – is an acronym for “prevention of assimilation in the Holy Land.” As the group’s full name indicates, its primary goal is to prevent Jewish assimilation and mixing of genes, that is, marriages or relations between Jews and non-Jews, whether they are Palestinians, Muslims, Christians or others.

The group – and its founder, 51-year-old Bentzi Jobstein – is part of a growing extremist religious movement that forms the political bloc of religious Zionism, which entered the Knesset victoriously after the parliamentary elections last March. With the victory of religious Zionism in 6 seats, “Lahava” was subjected to more scrutiny due to its growing influence in Israel.

The ideas and beliefs of this group come directly from the ideology of Kahane, who was born into an Orthodox Jewish family in New York in 1932 and believed in a homogeneous Jewish state administered according to the Torah. His followers believe that the West Bank – occupied by Israel since 1967 in violation of international law – and the eastern slopes of Jordan are part of the biblical kingdoms of Judea and Samaria.

And more than that – Abu Sneinah added – is that Kahana also believed in the Zionist idea of ​​Greater Israel, considering the Sinai Peninsula, Lebanon, Syria and the lands extending to the Euphrates River in Iraq as “the home of the Jewish people.”

Despite the formation of the Lahava group 15 years after the death of Kahane, it continues to follow in his footsteps with its explicit program against mixed marriage, whether through publications, protests, or acts of violence against Palestinians in relations with Jewish Israelis.

To this day, Kahanists oppose marriage between Jews and non-Jews, as well as homosexual rights, and see it as inconsistent with Jewish religious texts. The followers of the Rabbi called for the demolition of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which they claim was built where the second Jewish Temple was standing, in order to build the alleged Third Temple in its place. Advertising

The writer went on to review the legacy of Kahane – who was assassinated in 1990 in New York – that he had inspired many of his followers since then, headed by Brauch Goldstein, the American-born who stormed the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron in 1994 and killed 29 Palestinians during the dawn prayer during the month of Ramadan before he Killed on the spot.

He added that Kahane and Goldstein had become exemplary figures among the far-right Israeli settlers.

He said that the US State Department placed Kach and Kahana Chai – two factions that emerged from the original Kahana Party – on the list of foreign terrorist organizations after the Tomb of the Patriarchs massacre. The Israeli government followed suit, banning the two organizations, and declaring them “terrorist” groups.

And the writer continued that despite the formation of the Lahava group 15 years after the death of Kahane, She continues to follow in his footsteps with her explicit program against mixed marriage, whether through publications, protests, or acts of violence against Palestinians in relations with Jewish Israelis.

The writer mentioned one of the most striking measures when the group protested the marriage of Mahmoud Mansour – a Palestinian citizen from within the Green Line from Jaffa – and Muril Malka, who converted to Islam. In a case that became the talk of Israel in 2014.

Abu Sneina hinted that the financing network of the Lahava group after 16 years of its existence is still a mystery. In 2011, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz revealed that the group had not officially registered as a non-profit organization, although its members and activists are affiliated with the “Hamla” organization; She is a non-profit Israeli who helps girls from broken homes and “at risk of being forced to convert” from Judaism to other religions.

Since the leaders associated with Hava are entrenched in politics, their far-right Jewish racial ideas have the potential to influence the country more and those who govern it.