Ami Pedahzur and Arie Perliger, world experts on the study of terror and security, propose a theory of violence that contextualizes not only recent acts of terror but also instances of terrorism that stretch back centuries. Beginning with ancient Palestine and its encounters with Jewish terrorism, the authors analyze the social, political, and cultural factors that sponsor extreme violence, proving religious terrorism is not the fault of one faith, but flourishes within any counterculture that adheres to a totalistic ideology.
When a totalistic community perceives an external threat, the connectivity of the group and the rhetoric of its leaders bolster the collective mindset of members, who respond with violence. In ancient times, the Jewish sicarii of Judea carried out stealth assassinations against their Roman occupiers. In the mid-twentieth century, to facilitate their independence, Jewish groups committed acts of terror against British soldiers and the Arab population in Palestine. More recently, Yigal Amir, a member of a Jewish terrorist cell, assassinated Yitzhak Rabin to express his opposition to the Oslo Peace Accords.
Conducting interviews with former Jewish terrorists, political and spiritual leaders, and law-enforcement officials, and culling information from rare documents and surveys of terrorist networks, Pedahzur and Perliger construct an extensive portrait of terrorist aggression, while also describing the conditions behind the modern rise of zealotry.
Table of Content
Preface
Life in the Counterculture
The Catastrophic Event
The Dynamic and Causes of Radicalization
Method
Book Structure
1. Ancient and Modern History: The Founding Myths
Hasmoneans
Terrorism in Jerusalem
Jewish Political Activism in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries
2. Early and Mid-Twentieth Century: Ethno-Religious Terrorism
The Split Between the Etzel and the Lehi
The Assassination of Lord Moyne
From the Season to the United Resistance Movement
The Partition Plan
The Assassination of Israel Kastner
Kingdom of Israel (the Tzrifin Underground)
Brit Hakanaim (Covenant of the Zealots)
3. The Camp David Accords: The Struggle over the Promised Land
The Attack on the Mayors
The Crisis of the Camp David Accords
The Jewish Underground
The Founding Clique
Vengeance
Removing the Abomination
The Massacre at the Islamic College
The Exposure of the Network and Conclusions
4. Meir Kahane and the Kach Movement: Jews Against Israelis
Hebron Then and Now
From Jewish Defense League to Kahanist Counterculture
Early Days
Yoel Lerner
The Modern Hasmonean Revolt
The Struggle in Sinai
TNT
The Committee for the Safety of the Roads
The Disciples
God of Vengeance
5. The Assassination of Yitzak Rabin
The Vengeance Underground
The Yigal Amir Group
The Plot
Formation of the Network
6. The Second Intifada: Vengeance
The Hilltop Youth
The Bat Ayin Group
The Withdrawal from Gaza
Gush Katif
Sa Nur
Kfar Tapuach
Amona
7. Eccentric Cults, Vengeances, and Lone Wolves
Uzi Meshulam Cult
The Jerusalem Groups: The Ein Kerem Group and the Lifta Gang
Spontaneous Vengeance
Interim Summary: The Exceptional Groups
Mental Health and External Events
Vengeance, Counterculture, and Mental Disturbances
The Lone Avengers
The Mindset of the Lone Wolves
8. In the Name of God, the People, and the Land: Reassessment of the Causes of Jewish Terrorism
Comparing Jewish Terrorism with Other Manifestations of Religious Terrorism
Concluding Remarks: Looking Ahead
Glossary
Chronology of Attacks and Events Related to Jewish Terrorism
Notes
Index
About the author
Reader #2 – Ami Pedahzur is the Arnold Chaplik Professor in Israel and Diaspora Studies and a professor at the Department of Government at the University of Texas at Austin. His books includeThe Triumph of Israel’s Radical Right (Oxford University Press,
The Israeli Secret Services and the Struggle Against Terrorism (Columbia University Press, 2009) and Je
wish Terrorism in Israel (Columbia University Press, 2009, with Arie Perliger).
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