Israel needs to see if the actions of right-wing extremist could be legally defined as terror, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Wednesday, as Justice Minister Yaakov Ne’eman weighed emergency measures in the wake of recent “price tag” attacks and assaults on IDF troops.

Barak’s comments came after some 50 settlers and right-wing activists entered a key West Bank military base on Tuesday, throwing rocks, burning tires, and vandalizing military vehicles.

In an apparent “price tag” attack earlier Wednesday, anonymous perpetrators set a historical Jerusalem mosque alight, spray painting phrases such as “Muhammad is dead” and “Muhammad is a pig” on its walls.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Also on Wednesday, Justice Minister Ne’eman is expected to form a list of proposals geared at toughening legal actions against right-wing activists and in the wake of recent price tag attacks.

Ne’eman is to discuss the matter with Justice Ministry officials and police representatives. One option on the table is the declaration of right-wing extremists as a terror organization, which would enable immediate arrests and prevention actions.

Referring to a recent resurgence of right-wing violence, Barak said in an interview with Army Radio on Wednesday that Israel needs to see if the so-called hilltop youth, a group of young people who were born in the settlements and who belong to the extreme right, could be designated as a terror organization.

“From the way they conduct themselves, there’s no question that this is terror behavior,” Barak told Army Radio, saying that the need to define it in legal terms is in essence a problem of wording: “Is it an organization, is a collection of individuals, how can be define them collectively?”

Read more at haaretz.com

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount