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Last update - 03:32 27/09/2008
Leftist prof.: Bomb at my home shows settler violence spilling over Green Line
By Jonathan Lis, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Service
Tags: Israel News, Zeev Sternhell 

Professor Zeev Sternhell on Friday said the pipe bomb attack at his home late Wednesday, believed by police to have been perpetrated by right-wing extremists, was a sign that settler violence was spilling over the Green Line into Israel proper.

The left-wing activist and Haaretz columnist told Israel Radio that "there are two populations in the [Palestinian] territories and there are two systems of law, and if settlers are allowed to beat Palestinians, to uproot their orchards and demolish their houses - why shouldn't this happen across the Green Line?"

The Green Line demarcates Israel's border with the West Bank as it lay before the 1967 Six-Day War.
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Sternhell, an Israel Prize laureate, was lightly injured when a pipe bomb exploded outside his home in Jerusalem, in what police suspect could be a new campaign by right-wing extremists to target prominent left-wingers.

He said that he was sure that the attack had been perpetrated by a member of the extreme right. "It is possible that this was done by a lone crazy person, an organization or an entire settlement."

Sternhell also blamed apathy to settler violence for the bombing. "Society does not respond," he said during the radio interview, adding that when someone does in fact respond it is "positively or with a wink."

Outside Sternhell's home and in nearby streets Wednesday, the police found fliers offering a NIS 1.1 million reward for the killing of members of left-wing human rights movement Peace Now. This led to the suspicion that Jewish terrorists were behind the pipe-bomb attack, meant as a response to Sternhell's harsh criticism of West Bank settlers and their harassment of Palestinians.

"These are the developments that lead to the collapse of a very fragile democracy, as happened in Europe," Sternhell said. He was apparently referring to the rise of Nazism. Sternhell is an internationally renowned expert on the history of fascism. He was awarded the country's highest honor, the Israel Prize, earlier this year for his work in the field.

Dichter: Jewish terrorists tried to murder Zeev Sternhell

On Thursday, Public Security Minister Avi Dichter called the incident "a nationalist terror attack apparently perpetrated by Jews" and said the police would not rest until "those terrorists" were behind bars.

"We should see the explosive as aimed at killing," Dichter said, adding that the attack "takes us back to the days of [Prime Minister Yitzhak] Rabin's assassination."

The police stressed that the bomb was not meant to intimidate but was a murder attempt.

Following the attack on the professor, the police have beefed up security around the home of Peace Now head Yariv Oppenheimer.

Speaking from his hospital bed on Wednesday after the bombing, Sternhell said that "if this was not an act committed by a deranged person but by someone who represents a political view, then it is the beginning of the disintegration of democracy."

He said that "the incident illustrates the fragility of Israeli democracy, and the urgent need to defend it."

"On the personal level, if the intent was to terrorize, it has to be very clear that I am not easily intimidated," he said. "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."

The Israel Prize award for Sternhell drew fire from West Bank settlers and their supporters, who unsuccessfully petitioned Israel's Supreme Court to block it.

Kadima leader and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni condemned Wednesday's 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 said that "Israel is a lawful state and is populated by a society with values. It is the responsibility of the government and Israeli society to renounce such phenomena as soon as they rear their heads."

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

"We are returning to the dark era of pipe bombs aimed at people, in this case against a very gifted person who never hesitates to express his opinion," Defense Minister Ehud Barak said.

According to the chairman of the Knesset's internal affairs committee, Labor MK Ophir Pines-Paz: "The attack on Prof. Sternhell is a cowardly, terrorist act by those with no sense of justice." He urged the police and Shin Bet security service to strive to capture the perpetrators quickly and ensure that they receive hefty prison sentences.

"They'd better not talk to us about a few wild weeds," Meretz chairman Haim Oron said. "These people appear on the right wing."

"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 added.

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.

Sternhell had recently received threatening phone calls, but the bomb attack on him took the Shin Bet and police by surprise. They had no intelligence of a terror group targeting left-wing activists.

A special police team started taking statements from neighbors of the Sternhell family. The police believe the perpetrators stayed in a house nearby in the past few weeks, studying Sternhell's movements, and that passersby and neighbors must have seen them.

"There are hundreds of peace activists in Jerusalem. We have no sign of any intention to harm anyone specific and cannot protect so many people without more specific information," a police source said.

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      1.   the irgun gang strikes again? 04:28  |  VIPER 26/09/08
      2.   settlers and attempts at murder and mayhem 06:06  |  Philip A. Robinson 26/09/08
      3.   Get these terrorists behind bars 06:59  |  Dafna 26/09/08
      4.   Innuendo and Delegitimatization 07:02  |  Rafi 26/09/08
      5.   You fight fire with fire 07:09  |  L A 26/09/08
      6.   Sternhell 08:27  |  Pierre Palestinian 26/09/08
      7.   Nothing new under the sun 08:31  |  zeev 26/09/08
      8.   to Gili #3 - and something else 09:06  |  zeev 26/09/08
      9.   to Gili #3 - and something else 09:22  |  zeev 26/09/08
      10.   Not only "Jewish terrorists" are approving the murder attempt. 09:31  |  S 26/09/08
      11.   End of Democracy - aview from he left 09:34  |  Greg 26/09/08
      12.   to Gili #3 - an answer (2nd try) 09:38  |  zeev 26/09/08
      13.   a state that has failed to indict olmerde is a bad state 10:17  |  v.hardman 26/09/08
      14.   to Greg #12 11:05  |  zeev 26/09/08
      15.   livni is of course joking ! the state ignores law 11:10  |  v.hardman 26/09/08
      16.   Terror campaign in the future ? 11:14  |  Jean-Paul DOGUET 26/09/08
      17.   RESPONSE TO GREG IN THE USA 11:18  |  Avi 26/09/08
      18.   Mr Dichter, What about Ariel 11:23  |  Tal Sharvit 26/09/08
      19.   #11. End of Logic - a view from Greg 12:07  |  zmogus 26/09/08
      20.   Democracy gone badly wrong in Israel 12:14  |  Alicia 26/09/08
      21.   Israel & the Globle financial market. 13:09  |  Akram Zekaria 26/09/08
      22.   to Alicia #20 - I wonder 14:14  |  zeev 26/09/08
      23.   zeev there is no argument on the horrible bombing 15:11  |  judah 26/09/08
      24.   To Avi and Greg:you are both right 15:15  |  Hastaroth 26/09/08
      25.   You fight fire with fire 15:15  |  mark 26/09/08
      26.   #7 A question 15:19  |  Hastaroth 26/09/08
      27.   Nothing new under the sun 15:24  |  mark 26/09/08
      28.   Greg`s selective bird`s eye view from Washington 16:01  |  Tzfonit 26/09/08
      29.   NY Times Article 18:16  |  Dave Duncan 26/09/08
      30.   Haaretz going out of its way 18:28  |  Arie 26/09/08
      31.   This is happening because Israel needs real new elections 18:31  |  Dish It Out 26/09/08
      32.   Alicia #20 You are absolutely right about Democracy & lack of it. 18:38  |  S 26/09/08
      33.   #32 S: thank you and Shanah Tovah 5769 20:37  |  Alicia 26/09/08
      34.   Arabs Occupation & Dhimmitude Threatens Israel . 21:33  |  Joseph.E 26/09/08
      35.   Law and Order in israel= Comic Books 21:42  |  Danite 26/09/08
      36.   to judah #23 - part 1 21:56  |  zeev 26/09/08
      37.   to judah #23 - part 2 21:57  |  zeev 26/09/08
      38.   to S #32 - 2nd try 22:01  |  zeev 26/09/08
      39.   to Hastaroth #26 - 2nd try 22:03  |  zeev 26/09/08
      40.   Where are the real "Patriots"? 22:07  |  Gray 26/09/08
      41.   to Alicia #33 22:18  |  zeev 26/09/08
      42.   Why is it that....? 22:20  |  Gray 26/09/08
      43.   stop all incitements, all excuses for violence 22:22  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 26/09/08
      44.   No such thing as "dhimmitude" Joseph E. 23:16  |  BBSNews 26/09/08
      45.   Who wants to be a leftist..? 23:25  |  Stephen. 26/09/08
      46.   Sorry, sorry, sorry. My Ziobots ran out of control again. 23:47  |  Andreas 26/09/08
      47.   Alicia 23:59  |  Stella Westwell 26/09/08
      48.   Attack on Sternhall 00:39  |  Berel 27/09/08
      49.   what do you expect 00:43  |  mark 27/09/08
      50.   Oh Thank You Tzipi for the Shabbat Belly Laugh 00:53  |  Lee Kaplan 27/09/08
      51.   # 41 Zeev 00:55  |  Alicia 27/09/08
      52.   zeev 01:07  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 27/09/08
      53.   zeev you are foolish if you think changing deal to accord 02:11  |  judah 27/09/08
      54.   zeev egypt jordan and syria are governments 02:15  |  judah 27/09/08
      55.   zeev "contracts and parties" 02:16  |  judah 27/09/08
      56.   zeev syria uses proxies to fight israel 02:19  |  judah 27/09/08
      57.   #52, correction 02:20  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 27/09/08
      58.   zeev "the fear of having to pay a price" 02:23  |  judah 27/09/08
      59.   zeev why would we need a deal when 02:28  |  judah 27/09/08
      60.   to CJ Kohn #52 02:51  |  zeev 27/09/08
      61.   And whom has given them the green flag every time? 03:00  |  Mark Lincoln 27/09/08
      62.   to Alicia #51 03:17  |  zeev 27/09/08
      63.   to judah #59 03:26  |  zeev 27/09/08
      64.   Arabs Infightings Spilling Over Israel Thru Lefties 03:43  |  Joseph.E 27/09/08
      65.   zeev 03:55  |  Danite 27/09/08
      66.   the subject zeev is your non reply 04:41  |  judah 27/09/08
      67.   WHERE IS THE PROOF IT WAS FROM THE RIGHT 05:19  |  Jabadini 27/09/08
      68.   So, Mr Dichter, demolish their homes . . . 05:57  |  Maki 27/09/08
      69.   Israel United (Stephen from Geneve #45) 06:03  |  Steve 27/09/08
      70.   A Quote for Zeev 06:06  |  Steve 27/09/08
      71.   61# Mark Lincoln : "It claims to be lawful".. 06:30  |  Akram Zekaria 27/09/08
      72.   Lefties Dhimmedias Occupation Idolize Moslems & Demonise Settlers 06:46  |  Joseph.E 27/09/08
      73.   #12 Zeev, name called can backfire 07:02  |  howiej 27/09/08
      74.   Zeev is correct Judah, you are misinformed... 07:11  |  BBSNews 27/09/08
      75.   #63, zeev, you are confused 1 07:54  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 27/09/08
      76.   #63, zeev, you are confused, 2 08:07  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 27/09/08
      77.   #63, zeev, you are confused 3 08:17  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 27/09/08
      78.   #65, Danite 08:30  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 27/09/08
      79.   howiej on Sternhell... 08:32  |  BBSNews 27/09/08
      80.   bbs and all bad news where do they get it from 08:33  |  v.hardman 27/09/08
      81.   to Steve #70 09:08  |  zeev 27/09/08
      82.   to Alicia - more on #51 10:07  |  zeev 27/09/08
      83.   Leftie`d milk this for ever,while excusing pal terror 10:12  |  Absolute Sweden 27/09/08
      84.   #43 Cipora: there are no "incitements nor excuses" 10:31  |  Alicia 27/09/08
      85.   Zeev from the Moon: Do you trust the Arabs with Jewish Lives ? 11:06  |  Akram Zekaria 27/09/08
      86.   #74: HOLLAR 11:25  |  Evanston 27/09/08
      87.   to howiej #73 11:31  |  zeev 27/09/08
      88.   #75 Zeev, the truth speaks for itself 11:38  |  Alicia 27/09/08
      89.   Israel is now living under a Fraudulent Government 11:57  |  Dagma 27/09/08
      90.   to Steve #69 12:00  |  zeev 27/09/08
      91.   to judah #58 - 2nd try 12:39  |  zeev 27/09/08
      92.   to Alicia #79 13:23  |  zeev 27/09/08
      93.   79# Alicia. Your post is only one important side of the truth. 14:13  |  Akram Zekaria 27/09/08
      94.   WHY not condemn the perpetrators when they are found.? 14:14  |  PETER SM 27/09/08
      95.   Left wing violence has always been across the GL 14:41  |  David Teich 27/09/08
      96.   Reminder to Zeev. Would you answer my post 76 please.. 15:43  |  Akram Zekaria 27/09/08
      97.   zeev what are you doing still spouting off 16:21  |  judah 27/09/08
      98.   to Steve #70 - 3rd try 16:22  |  zeev 27/09/08
      99.   to A. Zekaria #84 16:34  |  zeev 27/09/08
      100.   to Steve #69 - 2nd try 16:44  |  zeev 27/09/08
      101.   zeev "we end the discussion" 16:44  |  judah 27/09/08
      102.   zeev i am surprised you chracterise your inane 16:49  |  judah 27/09/08
      103.   #86 Akram Zekaria, Shanah Metukah 17:04  |  Alicia 27/09/08
      104.   Zeev 17:05  |  Danite 27/09/08
      105.   to judah #90 17:56  |  zeev 27/09/08
      106.   zeev #38 18:46  |  S 27/09/08
      107.   zeev "what we inflicted on lebanon" 18:52  |  judah 27/09/08
      108.   zeev "stupidly defeatist" 18:55  |  judah 27/09/08
      109.   Bomb attack. 19:08  |  David Nigel Braham 27/09/08
      110.   zeev "we taught three arab states a lesson" 19:10  |  judah 27/09/08
      111.   dear Danite #104 - thanks for your encouragement. 19:22  |  zeev 27/09/08
      112.   Eretz Nehederet 19:31  |  Steve 27/09/08
      113.   Jews in Arab Lands 19:43  |  Steve 27/09/08
      114.   Sow The Wind And Reap The Whirlwind 19:48  |  chet 27/09/08
      115.   to Steve #112 20:03  |  zeev 27/09/08
      116.   demand for asylum........... 20:06  |  Daniel 27/09/08
      117.   Steve 20:45  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 27/09/08
      118.   Bomb at my home 21:12  |  Ralph 27/09/08
      119.   zeev the words of feisal husseini 21:36  |  judah 27/09/08
      120.   to judah #110 21:37  |  zeev 27/09/08
      121.   #104, Danite 23:34  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 27/09/08
      122.   J`accuse revisited 23:46  |  FOX 27/09/08
      123.   Ha`aretz whitewashes this article 00:15  |  Joe Sittizen 28/09/08
      124.   Dear Alicia Shalom.. 02:15  |  Akram Zekaria 28/09/08
      125.   zeev, "a grain of soil in the holy land" 02:31  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 28/09/08
      126.   to CJ Kohn #121 02:54  |  zeev 28/09/08
      127.   99# Zeev. Thanks but not surprised.A chance I wouldn`t take. 03:06  |  Akram Zekaria 28/09/08
      128.   to S #106 - 3rd try 03:15  |  zeev 28/09/08
      129.   zeev the words of naftali herz imber 03:27  |  judah 28/09/08
      130.   Greg: to Zeev, Zmogus, Zfonit 03:55  |  Greg 28/09/08
      131.   Cipora - main focus is the Israeli-Palestinian peace accord... 05:00  |  Smadar 28/09/08
      132.   #126, zeev 05:16  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 28/09/08
      133.   Cipora 06:35  |  danite 28/09/08
      134.   Zeev 06:40  |  Danite 28/09/08
      135.   to CJ Kohn #132 07:47  |  zeev 28/09/08
      136.   #128 zeev 08:36  |  S 28/09/08
      137.   don`t think this was an act by right wingers but a wedge by theI 09:14  |  Susanna/Shoshana 28/09/08
      138.   to Danite #134 11:11  |  zeev 28/09/08
      139.   to judah #119 - 2nd try 11:24  |  zeev 28/09/08
      140.   #138, zeev, people are not "manipulated by the jihadists" 11:47  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 28/09/08
      141.   to A. Zekaria #127 12:30  |  zeev 28/09/08
      142.   of "right" and "wrong" and WHO decides? 12:32  |  eric 28/09/08
      143.   to judah #129 12:47  |  zeev 28/09/08
      144.   to judah #119 - on F.Husseini - 3rd try 17:23  |  zeev 28/09/08
      145.   to CJ Kohn - more on #140 18:16  |  zeev 28/09/08
      146.   Following in the footsteps of Irgun and the Stern gang 03:00  |  American in NY 29/09/08
      147.   to CJ Kohn #140 - 3rd try 04:40  |  zeev 29/09/08
      148.   145: Missing the point is Zeev`s raison d`etre 13:42  |  David Teich 29/09/08
      149.   100: Zeev again has it backwards (2nd try) 13:42  |  David Teich 29/09/08
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