Today, responding to the news of Kahanism in the public sphere, Daniel Sokatch, CEO of the New Israel Fund, released the following statement:

“Meir Kahane was a violent supremacist who advocated and inspired acts of terror. He and his disciples were rightly banned from the Knesset in 1988 on the grounds that their ideology is ‘racist and undemocratic.’ Kahanist organizations are still defined as terror groups by the U.S. State Department and other global bodies.

“For decades, people who care about Israel across the political spectrum have largely agreed that Kahanists are a danger to Israeli democracy and have no place in its parliament. It is both horrifying and very revealing that Kahanists are now returning to the political arena and are being courted and embraced by right-wing parties and their leadership.

“Whether it’s in the United States or in Israel, we stand with all Israelis and against those who use violence, terror, and supremacist ideologies to divide and rule by fear. Elected leaders have a sacred responsibility to protect Israelis from violent extremists– not promote them.”