Eital Batzir Alshich: From Meir Kahane to Itamar Ben-Gvir – When the weeds become burning fields

Eital Batzir Alshich compares the disqualification of Meir Kahane's 'Kach' party in the 1990s to the rise of Itamar Ben-Gvir to a position of power as Minister of National Security. She argues that Israel has lost the ability to identify extremism and set egalitarian boundaries, and calls for the uniform application of disqualification laws across all sectors.

Eital Batzir Alshich, a former council member and deputy mayor of Rehovot, writes an opinion piece comparing the disqualification of Meir Kahane's 'Kach' party from running for the Knesset in the 1980s and 1990s to the current political status of Itamar Ben-Gvir, who serves as Minister of National Security. The article notes that Ben-Gvir was formerly associated with the 'Kach' movement and was convicted of offenses related to incitement to racism and support for a terrorist organization. The author argues that while Israel once knew how to set a boundary against Kahane, today extremism has become the norm and the fringes have reached the center of power. She calls for the equal application of Section 7A of Basic Law: The Knesset, which stipulates grounds for disqualifying lists and candidates, to all political parties – Jews and Arabs alike. The article also references the Supreme Court ruling that allowed Ra'am, the Joint List, and Ofer Cassif to run in elections, and the case of Sami Abu Shahadeh, who was asked to withdraw his candidacy.