Has Israel returned to days of Jewish Underground?

Avi Dichter, Likud Knesset member and former director of the Shin Bet, thought the proper response was obvious. After the July 31 Molotov cocktail attack in the Palestinian village of Douma that killed a toddler and severely burned other family members — an apparent escalation in Jewish terrorist activity — the state would have to employ administrative detention to combat the phenomenon; that is, detention without indictment or trial of Jewish terror suspects.

In fact, on Aug. 4, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon signed an administrative detention order against Mordechai Meyer, an 18-year-old right-wing activist from the Ma’aleh Adumim settlement, because of his alleged involvement in violent activity and recent terrorist attacks. The order, recommended by Shin Bet, is considered an unusual and extreme response, allowing an individual to be imprisoned for a period of six months without trial.

Such a measure has almost never been ordered against Jews, although the number of terror acts against churches and mosques, allegedly perpetrated by right-wing activists, continues to grow. The deadly attack in Douma, in which Ali Dawabsha was burned to death, ultimately compelled the security forces to clamp down on the current escalation of Jewish terrorism.

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Dichter said administrative detention is an especially effective tool that “interferes with the way people involved in terrorism operate and ultimately leads to a significant reduction in their ability to launch attacks.” Despite the tragic consequences of the attack in Douma, Dichter does not believe that this current manifestation of Jewish terrorism is as widespread or well armed as it was at the time of the Jewish Underground in the 1980s.