Jewish Hate Grows in Jewish State

Neo-Nazi arrests point to frustrations of Israeli non-Jews
By Vasiliki t Touhouliotis,  Newser User
Posted Sep 16, 2007 8:15 PM CDT
Jewish Hate Grows in Jewish State
Two young immigrants from the former Soviet Union, accused of being members of a neo-Nazi cell, cover their faces during a court appearance in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2007. Police announced the arrest of eight young immigrants from the former Soviet Union on Sunday, Sept. 9, 2007, and released...   (Associated Press)

Israel may seem an odd place for anti-Semitism, but as more immigrants claim Jewish heritage to gain citizenship through the loose "law of return," though they aren't technically Jewish, neo-Nazism is on the rise. Poverty, unemployment and social exclusion mark the lives of many non-Jews in Israel, reports the Economist, and those frustrations explain why some youths fall under the spell of racist ideologies.

Responding to last week's highly publicized arrests of eight neo-Nazis who taped themselves saluting Hitler and assaulting religious Jews, some politicians called for curbing lax immigration. Meanwhile, Israeli-Arabs compared the offenders to Jewish settlers who attack Palestinians. One Arab politician said, "You can't discriminate between racists." (More Israel stories.)

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