Country Reports on Terrorism 2012

founded by Meir Kahane’s son Binyamin, following his father’s 1990 assassination in the United
States. Both organizations were designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations on October 8,
1997. The group has attempted to gain seats in the Israeli Knesset over the past several decades
but won only one seat in 1984.
Activities: Kahane Chai has harassed and threatened Arabs, Palestinians, and Israeli government
officials, and has vowed revenge for the death of Binyamin Kahane and his wife. The group is
suspected of involvement in a number of low-level attacks since the start of the First Palestinian
Intifada in 2000. Since 2003, Kahane Chai activists have called for the execution of former
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, and physically intimidated other Israeli and Palestinian
government officials who favored the dismantlement of Israeli settlements. Although they have
not explicitly claimed responsibility for a series of mosque burnings in the West Bank,
individuals affiliated with Kahane Chai are widely suspected of being the perpetrators. There
were no known Kahane Chai attacks during 2012.
Strength: Kahane Chai’s core membership is believed to be fewer than 100. The group’s
membership and support networks are overwhelmingly composed of Israeli citizens that live
mostly in West Bank settlements.
Location/Area of Operation: Israel and West Bank settlements, particularly Qiryat Arba in
Hebron.
Funding and External Aid: Receives support from sympathizers in the United States and
Europe.
KATA’IB HIZBALLAH
aka Hizballah Brigades; Hizballah Brigades in Iraq; Hizballah Brigades-Iraq; Kata’ib Hezbollah;
Khata’ib Hezbollah; Khata’ib Hizballah; Khattab Hezballah; Hizballah Brigades-Iraq of the
Islamic Resistance in Iraq; Islamic Resistance in Iraq; Kata’ib Hizballah Fi al-Iraq; Katibat Abu
Fathel al-A’abas; Katibat Zayd Ebin Ali; Katibut Karbalah
Description: Designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on July 2, 2009, Kata’ib Hizballah
(KH) was formed in 2006 and is a radical Shia Islamist group with an anti-Western outlook and
extremist ideology that has conducted attacks against Iraqi, U.S., and Coalition targets in Iraq.
KH has threatened the lives of Iraqi politicians and civilians that support the legitimate political
process in Iraq. The group is notable for its extensive use of media operations and propaganda by
filming and releasing videos of attacks. KH has ideological ties to Lebanese Hizballah and
receives support from that group and its sponsor, Iran.
Activities: KH has been responsible for numerous terrorist attacks since 2007, including
improvised explosive device bombings, rocket propelled grenade attacks, and sniper operations.
In 2007, KH gained notoriety with attacks on U.S. and Coalition Forces in Iraq. KH was
particularly active in summer 2008, recording and distributing video footage of its attacks.
In June 2011, five U.S. soldiers were killed in a rocket attack in Baghdad, Iraq, when KH
assailants fired between three and five rockets at U.S. military base Camp Victory. The group
remained active in 2012, but has not conducted an attack on U.S. interests since July 2011.
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