US Condemns Ben-Gvir Attendance at Kahane Event

By Hamodia Staff

YERUSHALAYIM — The United States condemned the appearance of Itamar Ben Gvir at a memorial service for Rabbi Meir Kahane, whose Kach movement was outlawed in Israel for racism against Arabs.

“There is no other word for it – it is abhorrent. And we remain concerned, as we’ve said before, by the legacy of Kahane Chai and the continued use of rhetoric among violent right-wing extremists,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters in Washington, adding that the department has listed the group as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization, Reuters reported.

Religious Zionism party MK Ben-Gvir, a likely senior partner in Israel’s next government, is a former member of Kach who has in recent days been saying that he has “moderated” his views and is not in favor of expelling Arab citizens generally, only those who engage in or support terrorism.

Ben-Gvir tweeted ahead of the Yerushalayim event that his participation was in recognition of the slain U.S.-born Israeli rabbi’s “love of Israel” and “fight for Soviet Jewry and against anti-Semitism.”

Kahane Hy”d was assassinated by an Egyptian-American terrorist in Manhattan 32 years ago this week.

“It’s no secret that today I am not Rabbi Kahane, and don’t support expulsion of all the Arabs and will not pass laws for separate beaches for Arabs and Jews,” he said, drawing boos from members of the audience, several of whom wore Kach T-shirts.

But there were cheers when he repeated his election pledge to deport “terrorists.”