The indictments filed Sunday against two Jewish extremists suspected of carrying out the July 31 arson attack in the Palestinian village of Duma lifted the fog over something large parts of the Israeli public refused to acknowledge: There is a dangerous, radical group roaming around with the sole purpose of overthrowing the government. These extremists seek to replace Israeli democracy with a halachic state, crown a king over us, and expel all non-Jews from Israel while razing their holy sites. The road to achieving this goal is drenched in blood, and not just in theory, but in practice: The burning of churches and potential Christian deaths is meant to turn Judaism and Christianity against each other, and the burning of mosques and killing of Palestinians is supposed to breed war between Judaism and Islam. Together, these strifes are meant to incite the revolt that will topple the government. The senior political and defense echelons are familiar with these ideas, which mutated in the minds of the hilltop youth, the extremist group that came up with the notion of "price-tag" acts of revenge. Over the past two years, which have seen an escalation in price-tag attacks, a number of churches were torched and Palestinian property has been vandalized. But until the Duma arson, which killed three members of the Dawabsha family and severely injured the fourth, little was done to eradicate this group completely. Moreover, the defense minister and Shin Bet security agency director's warnings that there would be blood fell on the deaf ears of the judiciary and the political echelon. That is, until actual blood was spilled. The criminal charges filed Sunday against the two suspects are only the beginning. Not only because of the suspects' questionable sanity and because the legal proceedings will be clouded by debates about the way the evidence was obtained, but because even now, the suspects enjoy the backing of substantial parts of the public. There are those in Israel who are trying to undermine the state's case. Some are trying to locate Shin Bet and State Attorney's Office officials so as to intimidate them, and too many politicians and rabbis are making too many vague statements that could be construed in a dangerous way. If we are to destroy this phenomenon at the root we have to address these issues as well. There is more to dealing with this problem than the criminal aspects -- it has ethical, educational and financial aspects as well. Authorities are familiar with some groups and institutions. Some even receive state funding. The Shin Bet believes the state has to set a clear red line and enforce it. Otherwise, the dozens of extremists who are still roaming free may strike again.
