Arrest Of Jewish Extremist Part Of Israeli Crackdown

The grandson of a man often called the father of Israeli's right-wing militant movement has been detained in Jerusalem where he's being accused of conspiracy, membership in an illegal organization and nationalist crimes.

Reports in the Israeli press say Meir Ettinger, grandson of the slain American rabbi Meir Kahane, was allegedly planning violent acts against Palestinians as part of what he calls "The Revolt."

Ettinger, who writes about "dispossessing gentiles" and replacing modern Israel with a "Kingdom of Israel" based on religious law, is part of the so-called Hilltop Youth, a radical group of settlers calling for violence to advance their goals. His arrest comes less than a week after Jewish extremists firebombed a Palestinian home, killing a toddler and wounding several others.

Politicians across the Israeli political spectrum have promised to crack down on Jewish terror suspects, including a statement by Israel's Minister of Public Security who said that "anything that is done when it comes to Palestinian terrorists, the same thing should be done when it comes to a Jewish terrorist."

Bernard Avishai, who teaches at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and Dartmouth College, joins Here & Now's Robin Young to discuss the issue of Jewish extremism, Israel's crackdown and the future of the extremist subculture.