Two decades ago, the idea that a "radical right" could capture and drive Israeli politics seemed improbable. While it was a boisterous faction and received heavy media coverage, it constituted a fringe element. Yet by 2009, Israel's radical right had not only entrenched itself in mainstream Israeli politics, it was dictating policy in a wide range of areas. Quite simply, if we want to understand the seemingly intractable situation in Israel today, we need a comprehensive account of the radical right. In The Triumph of Israel's Radical Right, acclaimed scholar Ami Pedahzur provides an invaluable and authoritative analysis of its ascendance to the heights of Israeli politics. After analyzing what, exactly they believe in, he explains how mainstream Israeli policies like "the law of return" have nurtued their nativism and authoritarian tendencies. He then traces the right's steady expansion and mutation, from the early days of the stateto these days. Throughout, he focuses on the radical right's institutional networks and how the movement has been able to expand its influence over policy making process. His closing chapter is grim yet realistic: he contends that a two state solution is no longer viable and that the vision of the radical rabbi Meir Kahane, who was a fringe figure while alive, has triumphed.

The Triumph of Israel's Radical Right

Pedahzur, Ami

Legal Theory & Systems

Oxford University Press

The Israeli Secret Services and the Struggle Against Terrorism (Columbia Studies in Terrorism and Irregular Warfare)

While Mossad is known as one of the world's most successful terrorist-fighting organizations, the state of Israel has, more than once and on many levels, risked the lives of its agents and soldiers through unwise intelligence-based intervention. The elimination of Palestinian leaders and militants has not decreased the incidence of Palestinian terrorism, for example. In fact, these incidents have become more lethal than ever, and ample evidence suggests that the actions of Israeli intelligence have fueled terrorist activities across the globe. An expert on terror and political extremism, Ami Pedahzur argues that Israel's strict reliance on the elite units of the intelligence community is fundamentally flawed. A unique synthesis of memoir, academic research, and information gathered from print and online sources, Pedahzur's complex study explores this issue through Israel's past encounters with terrorists, specifically hostage rescue missions, the first and second wars in Lebanon, the challenges of the West Bank and Gaza, Palestinian terrorist groups, and Hezbollah. He brings a rare transparency to Israel's counterterrorist activities, highlighting their successes and failures and the factors that have contributed to these results. From the foundations of this analysis, Pedahzur ultimately builds a strategy for future confrontation that will be relevant not only to Israel but also to other countries that have adopted Israel's intelligence-based model.

History

Middle East

Columbia University Press

Jewish Terrorism in Israel (Columbia Studies in Terrorism and Irregular Warfare)

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.

Perliger, Arie

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.

What is the relationship between the political parties that embrace the democratic process and terrorist groups, which eschew the legal and procedural strictures of democracy?This acclaimed volume provides a detailed theoretical and empirical analysis of this controversial issue. Drawing on a vast array of data, the authors examine a large number of international case studies from Italy, Spain, Lebanon, Turkey, Iran, Israel, Palestine, Peru, Argentina, Japan and Northern Ireland. This comprehensive book is the definitive account of this extremely important subject.

Political Parties and Terrorist Groups (Extremism and Democracy)

Politics & Social Sciences

Weinberg, Leonard

Politics & Government

Routledge

Political Parties and Terrorist Groups (Routledge Studies in Extremism and Democracy)

This book is the definitive guide to the topical issue of the relationship between political parties that embrace the democratic process and terrorist groups which eschew the legal and procedural strictures of democracy.  The fully revised edition continues to provide the most detailed theoretical and empirical analysis of this controversial issue, highlighting the fluid nature of boundaries between terrorist organisation and legitimate political party. Drawing on a vast array of data, the authors examine a large number of international case studies from Italy, Spain, Lebanon, Turkey, Iran, Israel, Palestine, Peru, Argentina, Japan and Northern Ireland.  By incorporating substantial new material on ETA, Hizbollah and Hamas, this book retains its position at the forefront of the worldwide political discussion on terrorism, and continues to be essential reading for all students, academics and readers with an interest in security studies, terrorism and political violence

Reference

Religious Fundamentalism and Political Extremism (Cass Series--Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions)

This volume explores the relationships between fundamentalist religious belief, political extremism and outbreaks of religiously inspired violence.

Religion & Spirituality

Christian Books & Bibles

This book looks at the theoretical issue of how a democracy can defend itself from those wishing to subvert or destroy it, without being required to take measures that would impinge upon the basic principles of the democratic idea, such as human rights, freedom of speech, and the freedom to form political organizations. In this book institutional and social frameworks are incorporated into the discussion of the 'paradox' in an attempt to provide an answer to the question: is there a golden path which can reconcile between the democratic polity's need to defend itself and, at the same time, maintain responsibility to protect and safeguard the basic right of its citizens?

The Israeli Response to Jewish Extremism and Violence: Defending Democracy

Manchester University Press

Suicide Terrorism

Suicide terrorism in its modern form made its first appearance in Lebanon in the early 1980s. Over the last quarter century, terrorist attacks perpetrated by suicide bombers have spread to many corners of the world and have become a major threat for both the governments and citizens of numerous countries. Can this devastating phenomenon be attributed to a specific religion or culture? What are the causes and motivations that lead ordinary people to embark upon suicide attacks? How are potential bombers trained for their mission? And is it possible for democratic governments to effectively cope with this challenge?   In this compelling book, Ami Pedazhur investigates the root causes of suicide terrorism and its rapid proliferation in recent years. Drawing on a variety of sources, the book explores the use of human bombs in Lebanon, Israel, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Chechnya, Iraq, and the ostentatious attacks of Al-Qaeda and the global jihad. It is the only book to offer such an in-depth, up-to-date, cross cultural analysis of suicide terrorism in the twenty-first Century.

Self-Help

Death & Grief

Polity

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Pedahzur, Ami. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Pedahzur, Ami

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Pedahzur, Ami. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Triumph of Israel's Radical Right

The Israeli Secret Services and the Struggle Against Terrorism (Columbia Studies in Terrorism and Irregular Warfare)

The Israeli Secret Services and the Struggle Against Terrorism (Columbia Studies in Terrorism and Irregular Warfare)

Jewish Terrorism in Israel (Columbia Studies in Terrorism and Irregular Warfare)

Jewish Terrorism in Israel (Columbia Studies in Terrorism and Irregular Warfare)

Political Parties and Terrorist Groups (Extremism and Democracy)

Political Parties and Terrorist Groups (Routledge Studies in Extremism and Democracy)

Religious Fundamentalism and Political Extremism (Cass Series--Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions)

The Israeli Response to Jewish Extremism and Violence: Defending Democracy

Suicide Terrorism