Israel Power to the Fringe

Extremist parties court a divided electorate

Inside a crowded courtroom in Jerusalem, a rapt audience sat hushed as the nation's highest judges wrestled with an explosive question: Is Rabbi Meir Kahane simply too fanatical to run in Israel's Nov. 1 election? Outside, dozens of the American-born rabbi's supporters bellowed their own verdict, waving banners emblazoned with Kahane's provocative trademark, a clenched fist. Starry-eyed disciples strained to touch the man who vows to expel every last Arab from both Israel and the occupied territories. Exclaimed one young follower: "Next month we shall decide once and for all how to deal with the Arabs."

Kahane personifies the most zealous...

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