Echoing previous statements that he was more concerned about right-wing activists than Arab terrorists, outgoing Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin on Wednesday during a speech at Tel Aviv University tried to raise the specter of “Jewish terrorism.”
While conceding sectarian violence by Jews against Arabs is far rarer, actually almost non-existent, than the daily terror attacks by Arabs on Jews – and not citing any statistics or incidents to support the existence of such a trend – Diskin argued Jewish terrorism was ideologically worse than Arab terrorism.
It is worse because a Jewish terrorist “has a government and an army, and goes and murders or injures Palestinians or Arabs,” Diskin said, adding, “I see it as a very grave thing.”
Some political observers suggest Diskin is setting the stage to enter left-wing politics.
Previously Diskin revealed his concerns about right-wing activists were based on supposition rather than any actual incidents to which he could point.
“I detect anti-government, anti-establishment and even delusional messianic processes within these groups,” Diskin had told reporters at a press conference a week ago.
A source close to the Yesha council, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Diskin's “inability to separate his personal politics from his professional duties” was “disturbing.”
"This kind of aspersion is very ugly and divisive," the source added.