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Last update - 01:46 26/09/2008
Dichter: Prof attack takes us back to days of Rabin assassination
By Shahar Ilan and Roni Singer-Heruti, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service
Tags: Ze'ev Sternhell, settlers 

Public Security Minister Avi Dichter joined senior political officials on Thursday in condemning a pipe bomb attack on the home of left-wing activist and Haaretz columnist Professor Ze'ev Sternhell, saying that the incident called to mind the days of the assassination of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.

Dichter described the event, which left Sternhell lightly wounded, an "assassination attempt" and a "nationalistic terror attack perpetrated, in all likelihood, by Jews, which pushes our society many years backward."

Speaking at a police ceremony in Netanya, Dichter added that "the pipe bomb that was planted yesterday should be viewed as a bomb meant to kill. The law enforcement authorities will not rest until the terrorists are put where they belong ? in prison."
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Police suspect Jewish extremists of having carried out the pipe bomb attack earlier in the day. Sternhell walked out of his home in a quiet Jerusalem neighborhood shortly after midnight to shut a courtyard gate when the bomb went off, lightly wounding him in one of his legs, Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said.

"We believe the background is ideological," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

Sternhell, an internationally renowned expert on the history of fascism, was awarded the country's highest honor, the Israel Prize, earlier this year. The award drew fire from West Bank settlers and their supporters, who unsuccessfully petitioned Israel's Supreme Court to try to block it.

Sternhell himself spoke from his hospital bed at Jerusalem's Shaarei Tzedek hospital Thursday evening, warning that "if this act was not committed by a deranged person but by someone who represents a political view, then this is the beginning of the disintegration of democracy."

"The very occurrence of the incident goes to illustrate the fragility of Israeli democracy, and the urgent need to defend it with determination and resolve," he added.

"On the personal level," he went on to say, "if the intent was to terrorize, it has to be very clear that I am not easily intimidated; but the perpetrators tried to hurt not only me, but each and every one of my family members who could have opened the door, and for that there is no absolution and no forgiveness."

Meanwhile Thursday, Kadima leader and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni condemned the attack saying that the incident was "intolerable, and cannot be glossed over."

At a ceremony marking the Rosh Hashanah holiday at the Foreign Ministry, Livni went on to say that "the state of Israel is a lawful state, and moreover, it is populated by a society with values. It is the responsibility of the government and the Israeli society to renounce such phenomena as soon as the rear their heads."

Earlier Thursday, Jerusalem police said they found fliers offering more than NIS 1 million to anyone who kills members of left-wing human rights organization Peace Now at Sternhell's home following the blast.

Investigators said a number of such pamphlets were found outside the home and in adjacent streets.

In the wake of the attack and the discovery of the fliers, police have beefed up security around the home of Peace Now secretary-general Yariv Oppenheimer.

Senior political figures also expressed outrage at the news of the attack on Sternhell, which has touched a nerve given the country's sensitive history of politically-oriented violence.

"We are returning to the dark spectacle of pipe bombs that are aimed at people, in this case against a very gifted person who never shies away from expressing his opinion," Defense Minister Ehud Barak said.

"We won't let any elements, from any dark corner of Israeli society, to harass people who let their clear, lucid, unique voices like that of Ze'ev Sternhell be heard," Barak said.

"The attack on Professor Sternhell is a cowardly, terrorist act of those with no sense of justice," the chairman of the Knesset's internal affairs committee, Labor MK Ophir Pines-Paz, said.

"I call on the police and the Shin Bet security service to make every effort to locate the perpetrators quickly and to make sure that they be put under lock and key for many years."

"They better not talk to us about a few bad weeds," Meretz chairman Haim Oron said. "These phenomena spring up on the right-wing [of the political spectrum]."

"This thuggish and dangerous act is the result of the continuing see-no-evil approach toward the vicious violence against soldiers and police officers and anyone else who doesn't agree with the brutish section of the extreme right wing," Oron said.

Itamar Ben-Gvir, an activist with a fringe settler group calling itself the National Jewish Front, said Sternhell was an irrelevant figure and that he did not believe settlers were behind the attack. "I don't denounce this incident, but say categorically that we are not involved," Ben-Gvir said.

Settlers regularly clash with Palestinians and Israeli peace activists in the West Bank, but the use of weapons against political opponents in Israel is uncommon. There have, however, been precedents. A pro-settlement extremist shot and killed Rabin in 1995 as he spearheaded efforts to strike a peace deal with the Palestinians. Another extremist killed a member of Peace Now with a grenade at a 1983 peace protest.

Sternhell frequently writes for Haaretz and was awarded the Israel Prize in political science in February 2008.

Recently, Sternhell has received threatening phone calls. Police assess that the background for the attempt to harm Professor Sternhell is politically motivated. They suspect that right-wing activists carried out the attack in response to his remarks decrying Israeli settlers.

Five months ago, the High Court of Justice deferred a petition by the Legal Forum for the State of Israel against the decision to award the Israel Prize in political science to Sternhell.

The petition condemned Education Minister Yuli Tamir and the judicial committee who awarded Sternhell the prize. Sternhell, the petition claimed, was not deserving of the prize because of his remarks in the media, specifically an article he wrote in Haaretz which justified an attack by Palestinians on settlers.

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      1.   Israel a no-go area for decent people 10:01  |  Chanalau, Tova 25/09/08
      2.   Fervent wishes for safety, health and well-being 10:16  |  Esther 25/09/08
      3.   Fine. Soon we will read about the first Haaretzis hurt 10:32  |  Andreas 25/09/08
      4.   Punish culprits ? educate public to save our national structure 10:40  |  H.H.M. 25/09/08
      5.   The Chanalau "Tova" strikes again 10:42  |  Hastaroth 25/09/08
      6.   A LEFTIST SETUP !!! 10:45  |  Alon Frank 25/09/08
      7.   Blessed are the peacemakers 10:50  |  Ivar 25/09/08
      8.   Sternhal advised the Pal terrorists to kill the 10:59  |  Avraham 25/09/08
      9.   Chanaliar you oppose evrything in Israel, not only the right 11:18  |  x-ray 25/09/08
      10.   Terrorism not only among the Pals... 11:31  |  Esther 25/09/08
      11.   It is a disgrace .Hopefully the culprits will be caught. 11:33  |  PETER SM 25/09/08
      12.   Sternhell suggested that Palestinians use terror against settlers 11:37  |  Moshe 25/09/08
      13.   How many more? 11:47  |  KM 25/09/08
      14.   UK a no-go area for human beings 11:53  |  Joe Sittizen 25/09/08
      15.   A spade is a spade: arrest and incarcerate the perps 11:57  |  Joe Sittizen 25/09/08
      16.   How long have I been preaching here, that it`s about time..... 12:06  |  Swiss (Dino) 25/09/08
      17.   Re Moshe #13 12:07  |  Esther 25/09/08
      18.   #2 Chanalau Tova 12:08  |  Not Quite 25/09/08
      19.   This Plays Into The Hands Of The Left 12:25  |  Ben Israel 25/09/08
      20.   IMAGINE an English Professor advises IRA 12:26  |  Rachel 25/09/08
      21.   What a weird country 12:32  |  Net 25/09/08
      22.   Avraham#9 12:34  |  Peter 25/09/08
      23.   #2 ISRAEL a nogo area for decent people 12:38  |  Ari ben Yisrael 25/09/08
      24.   Sternhell isn`t Bar Kamtsa 12:42  |  DJStahl 25/09/08
      25.   What a shame!! 12:48  |  Peaceful Right wing 25/09/08
      26.   Speed recovery to the voice of co-existence Prof. Sternhell 12:50  |  Anton Siniora 25/09/08
      27.   next please 12:50  |  Murray 25/09/08
      28.   Israel is collapsing 12:53  |  Chris Linthwaite 25/09/08
      29.   # 1 arthur 12:53  |  Axel 25/09/08
      30.   Swiss Dino 13:08  |  Not Quite 25/09/08
      31.   Chanalau, Tova - and tomorrow.... 13:16  |  sh 25/09/08
      32.   Chanalau Tova Second Attempt 13:17  |  Not Quite 25/09/08
      33.   Home-grown terrorism. 13:17  |  Tony Price 25/09/08
      34.   Incitement to violence is no way to peace. 13:20  |  Michael J 25/09/08
      35.   #1 Well you need not worry then 13:28  |  Johnny 25/09/08
      36.   #1 chanaLiar on ISRAEL a no go area for DECENT people 13:37  |  Ari ben Yisrael 25/09/08
      37.   The extremes 13:42  |  Tenar 25/09/08
      38.   axel writes about" terrorist roots" 14:00  |  erwin honigstein 25/09/08
      39.   T.PRICE.Very cute .How many terrorist attacks have you had in NZ? 14:15  |  PETER SM 25/09/08
      40.   Tomorrow`s Haaretz - "Homes of the parents of Jewish Terrorists 14:16  |  Fred Schlomka 25/09/08
      41.   FOR ISRAELIS, MONEY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING 14:20  |  indrajaya 25/09/08
      42.   Yea Right 14:41  |  John Cohn 25/09/08
      43.   Remember Timothy McVeigh, you righteous people? 14:43  |  Israeli citizen 25/09/08
      44.   Terrorists did this? 15:01  |  H50 25/09/08
      45.   "Fred Schlomka" Do you know who did it? 15:04  |  PETER SM 25/09/08
      46.   Terrorism -Peter SM 15:04  |  Tony Price 25/09/08
      47.   Not Quite (Post No. 28) 15:12  |  Johnny Weintraub 25/09/08
      48.   Shame shame...yachad!!! 15:51  |  Adam 25/09/08
      49.   Misplaced priorities 16:01  |  F. outraged 25/09/08
      50.   Terrorists did it ? 16:13  |  victor 25/09/08
      51.   Ehud Barak at last speaks up loud and clear... 16:40  |  Esther 25/09/08
      52.   Sternhell Supports Terror Against Israeli Jews 17:02  |  Yishai Kohen 25/09/08
      53.   Not Suprising. 17:07  |  Ibrahim 25/09/08
      54.   The solution to all this is a TWO STATE SOLUTION 17:18  |  Harrison 25/09/08
      55.   Punishment? 17:39  |  Anne 25/09/08
      56.   The Anatomy of Fascism 17:39  |  Ant 25/09/08
      57.   When jews kills jews and divides the country 17:39  |  noname 25/09/08
      58.   When the bomb is on the other foot 17:49  |  Ilan 25/09/08
      59.   The dangerous game of tolerating 18:02  |  Mark Lincoln 25/09/08
      60.   israelagainstterror 18:05  |  matt 25/09/08
      61.   # 6: Alon Frank: Reminds me of 9-11 Conspiracy Theory 18:06  |  Kareem 25/09/08
      62.   what Sternhell said, Mr. Kohen 18:11  |  Murray 25/09/08
      63.   He is one of us 18:29  |  french historian 25/09/08
      64.   Another Emil Grunzweig Attempt at Murder 18:30  |  Yaakov Sullivan 25/09/08
      65.   Murray in Milan on International Law 18:42  |  Yaakov Sullivan 25/09/08
      66.   Rachel 19:07  |  Michael 25/09/08
      67.   IMAGINE leftists are in power in every country 19:11  |  AdamHabibTX 25/09/08
      68.   Right Wing is Right Wing, Mr. Kohen 19:21  |  Michael 25/09/08
      69.   It`s terrible, but... 19:23  |  Miransky 25/09/08
      70.   Yishai #52 19:35  |  Esther 25/09/08
      71.   And what does bibi say? 19:41  |  Reuben 25/09/08
      72.   Jewish terrorism 19:53  |  Janice 25/09/08
      73.   Legal? to #12 19:59  |  Klod168 25/09/08
      74.   #63 french historian 20:06  |  Sarah 25/09/08
      75.   intolerable 20:08  |  peter 25/09/08
      76.   Sternhall `s verbal violence 20:15  |  Shalom Freedman 25/09/08
      77.   Left-wing can be extremist too 20:15  |  Gili 25/09/08
      78.   zeev sternhell fought in all israel`s wars 20:19  |  harzion 25/09/08
      79.   Chris Linthwaite 20:21  |  Edifice 25/09/08
      80.   Gili on the left 20:21  |  Yaakov Sullivan 25/09/08
      81.   find them, put them on trial and jail them 20:25  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 25/09/08
      82.   It`s long past time for treating the right as we treat the left 20:27  |  David Teich 25/09/08
      83.   73: That`s called free speech, Shalom, you moron 20:29  |  David Teich 25/09/08
      84.   Re Swiss #16 `How long have I been preaching...` 20:33  |  Colin Wright 25/09/08
      85.   #1 Well thought and well said 20:42  |  Ines 25/09/08
      86.   #76 Edifice 20:43  |  Chris Linthwaite 25/09/08
      87.   It starte a long time ago when they Government gave... 20:47  |  B`Galil 25/09/08
      88.   RIDICULOUS 20:47  |  Ian 25/09/08
      89.   Re # 2 ...We need much more than fervent wishes 20:52  |  Ines 25/09/08
      90.   Democracy 20:53  |  Steven 25/09/08
      91.   Due Process 20:56  |  Avi 25/09/08
      92.   Another Emil Grunzweig Attempt at Murder 21:04  |  Yaakov Sullivan 25/09/08
      93.   THis is despicable 21:05  |  Right Wing 25/09/08
      94.   While an attempt on his life is outrageous... 21:08  |  Arie 25/09/08
      95.   Alternative paths for Judaism 21:17  |  Gordon and Sue Lurie 25/09/08
      96.   Right wing Jewish terrorists 21:20  |  meir 25/09/08
      97.   To Sternhell-You Reap what you Sow 21:21  |  Zvi 25/09/08
      98.   Anti-Jewish action, all rabbis should speak out against this... 21:24  |  Smadar 25/09/08
      99.   Why aren`t they called terrorists 21:25  |  Dave Duncan 25/09/08
      100.   Do these thugs really think they can silence us? 3rtd try 21:32  |  Tzfonit 25/09/08
      101.   "Democracy`s decay"?? What a peculiar comment from a guy who... 21:33  |  Dr. L. Brnd 25/09/08
      102.   #54 harrison it already exists its called jordan 21:36  |  victor hardman 25/09/08
      103.   Will the Israeli terrorists who attacked get demolished homes? 21:39  |  BBSNews 25/09/08
      104.   Has Professor Sternhell asked for it.....? 21:39  |  Natasha 25/09/08
      105.   Why the `beginning` of the end? 21:44  |  mg 25/09/08
      106.   I WISH BRITAIN HAD ISRAEL`S DEMOCRACY 21:45  |  Ian 25/09/08
      107.   Re # 6 Left and right...both are... 21:47  |  Ines 25/09/08
      108.   Re # 5 when.... 21:57  |  Ines 25/09/08
      109.   peace now +1 21:58  |  severine 25/09/08
      110.   Chris Linthwaite 22:03  |  Edifice 25/09/08
      111.   Perhaps provocation by outsider non-Jews whom the J. agency bring 22:11  |  sherlox 25/09/08
      112.   # 7 You are very right Ivar !!! 22:16  |  Ines 25/09/08
      113.   Sternhell gets an F in civics 22:17  |  Joe Sittizen 25/09/08
      114.   Who says that Israel`s Political Culture is 22:21  |  ARTH 25/09/08
      115.   Bad Weeds and the worst Weeds" {3rd Try} 22:24  |  Gray 25/09/08
      116.   Re # 10 ....Esther ...You are right...that is a... 22:28  |  Ines 25/09/08
      117.   INDRAYAJA IRANIAN POSTER GIRL #41 22:33  |  BIG SUR 25/09/08
      118.   reference question by #95 Meir 22:39  |  Big Sur 25/09/08
      119.   Leftist calls for the apocalypse are overstated 22:40  |  steve from raleigh 25/09/08
      120.   My, my what have we here? 23:00  |  ballistic 25/09/08
      121.   Leftists so quick to jump to conclusions 23:17  |  peter 25/09/08
      122.   Ballessistic: So Very Happy 23:17  |  Tex 25/09/08
      123.   ballistic did you know that condileeza rice is the butt 23:18  |  goldwater 25/09/08
      124.   End of what `democracy` 23:22  |  samos 25/09/08
      125.   #110 Edifice 23:22  |  Chris Linthwaite 25/09/08
      126.   To These defenders, this is just a burp 23:22  |  Yaakov Sullivan 25/09/08
      127.   Re # 12 Moshe we live in a relative world ... 23:29  |  Ines 25/09/08
      128.   # 38 erwin 23:45  |  Axel 25/09/08
      129.   Much rumour and innuendo but no facts 23:47  |  Hal 25/09/08
      130.   Police suspect Jewish extremists 23:51  |  Hal 25/09/08
      131.   Re # 13 How many more? 23:51  |  Ines 25/09/08
      132.   Re # 15 Half the population of Jerusalem are settlers 23:57  |  Ines 25/09/08
      133.   # 106 Ian and what`s your problem? 00:06  |  Axel 26/09/08
      134.   Minister Dichter says most aptly.... 00:11  |  Esther 26/09/08
      135.   #76 Shalom Freedman 00:15  |  ARTH 26/09/08
      136.   # 84 Colin Wright 00:29  |  Swiss (Dino) 26/09/08
      137.   dangerous hypocrisy 01:49  |  Joe Hill 26/09/08
      138.   Sympathizing with All Decent Israelis Incl Prof Sternhell 02:00  |  HumanityKadima 26/09/08
      139.   Demonstrate Saturday Evening In Rabin Square 02:04  |  HumanityKadima 26/09/08
      140.   Dino, I think it is very painfull when you see it in perspective 03:19  |  Mark B. 26/09/08
      141.   #84 colin wright - WHY are you still EVADING the issue? 04:49  |  CK Tan 26/09/08
      142.   Kadima gave Democracy a bad name ! 05:17  |  Akram Zekaria 26/09/08
      143.   re 103 another try for more views 06:03  |  alan the real one 26/09/08
      144.   My best wishes for a speedy recovery 08:52  |  Nick Ferriman 26/09/08
      145.   # 47 Jonny Weintraub 08:59  |  Nick Ferriman 26/09/08
      146.   Unbelievable the hate against the prof on this site. 09:08  |  S 26/09/08
      147.   # 140 Mark B. 09:51  |  Swiss (Dino) 26/09/08
      148.   # 140 Mark B., a completion.... 10:00  |  Swiss (Dino) 26/09/08
      149.   End of Israeli Democracy 10:31  |  Proud Israeli 26/09/08
      150.   shabak 11:03  |  JoJo 26/09/08
      151.   142: Zekaria doesn`t comprehend democracy 13:48  |  David Teich 26/09/08
      152.   Jewish terrorists 00:50  |  Mike Katz 27/09/08
      153.   152: Of course there is, Katz 14:43  |  David Teich 27/09/08
      154.   151# David Teich (4th TRY) 15:36  |  Akram Zekaria 27/09/08
      155.   154: Akram, you`re still avoiding reality 21:01  |  David Teich 27/09/08
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