Dear FRONTLINE,

I am dismayed beyond belief about these extremists, and as a Jew I am ashamed that they call themselves Jews and purport to be doing God's will. Their interpretation of the lessons of the Torah make a mockery of Judaism.

However, the Israeli government bears a great deal of blame for these extremists who now have them so worried. The government has actively supported settlements in the Occupied Territories for decades, has in fact siphoned funds (illegally) to pay for them, as the recent Sasson Report has documented, and has, in the name of security, engaged in humiliating, degrading and ultimately racist treatment of the Palestinians living under the Occupation.

In such an atmosphere, it is no wonder that a bunch of sociopathic hooligans, which is how I would characterize these right-wing religious fanatics, are bound to assume that they have the government's tacit permission to take revenge on Palestinians in any way they see fit, and to feel betrayed when suddenly the government realizes that it's created a monster which is out of control.
I want to thank PBS for airing this show. I have just returned from a trip to the West Bank and have witnessed first hand the terrible effects of the Occupation on the Palestinian population. I would urge PBS to show more of how Palestinian daily life is actually affected by what the government, as well as the fanatic right wing, is doing.

Stephanie Schamess
Williamsburg, MA

Dear FRONTLINE,

I, as a Chassidic person and mother is truly shocked at the extremist behavior.Even if they look religous and use the name of god quite often, to even think of placing a bomb outside of a school with young girls no matter what the religion, is unexplainable and not a act that true pious people would even allow to cross their minds.

Though after hearing the circumstances that bought them to this extremist view (ex:the man that saw his infant daughter killed in front of him,( for no reason) would explain his anger.But that still does not give them the right to put the whole land of Isreal in jeopardy.g-d will decide when the redemption will come,and this is not the way to go about it.

plm fisch

Dear FRONTLINE,

Great show as always from your staff. You all hit on a little told story that has huge implications for the world. You did touch on it a little. If these groups do take out the Dome of the Rock it would lead to all muslims going against all jews. As you said the jewish terrorist groups see that as a key to installing heaven on earth for them.

There is an interesting side to that point. There has been several protestant end of the world theologians who have said construction of the temple is the sign of the end of the world.

One of those theolgians was Hal Lindsey. Interesting to see how two groups come to the same conclusion.

Tom Magee
Overland Park, KS

Dear FRONTLINE,

As one who has seen Israelis commit all sorts of atrocities and literally get away with it I was surprised to see this documentary which shows the Israeli authorities apparently trying to bring to justice the Israeli extremists who planned to injure or rather kill arabs. It never ceases to amaze me how a jewish person will openingly and with impudence say that the intention is to kill arabs and drive them out of Israel. If anyone else in the world openingly dared to make such a statement about another they would be criticized, shunned and in some countries jailed.

The feeling of hate for the Arabs was so tangible in this documentary that it made my heart palpitate and filled me with fear for the people of Palestine who have already had to endure so much suffering. I have seen all of this first hand while traveling thru Israel and Palestine. It is an impossilbe situation which simply breaks your heart to see and to experience.

Elissa Valle
Brooklyn, New York

Dear FRONTLINE,

Unfortunately, Frontline does an excellent job in covering serious problems with Israeli society. However, it ignores the much larger issue of Palestinian terror. These groups sound the same and unlike the Jewish terror groups, they enjoy tolerance and general support from both the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian public in general.

I have been to Israel and these creeps do not represent anything like a majority opinion in Israel. Furthermore the entire weight and authority of the Israeli government actively seeks them out to prevent them from acting on their beliefs.

Why don't you have similar coverage of the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the rest?

Israel's next war will not be started by these men. It is already under planning stages in Gaza with the Palestinian Authority importing sophisticated missles and advanced weaponery which, presumably, is for the next round of fighting. This comes despite the fact that Israel is dismantling ALL of the settlements in Gaza.

That is the next war.

Dan Pankowsky

Dear FRONTLINE,

I really enjoyesd this program perhaps the next program you can do is abouit the american kids that go to the israeli army or IDF.

Also i dont believe there will be a civil war- some way it will all work out but the pullout from gaza scares me, They might be able to do it in gaza but that wont work in The West Bank.

Ezra Barashy
Bayside, NY

Dear FRONTLINE,

It is high time that the issue of Israeli extremism reach the major media. The intransigence of radical settlers and those who represent them in the Knesset is a leading factor in the failures of numerous peace talks.

Groups like Kach and the Gush Emunim not only employ violence against civilians, but have a strategic vision which precludes the possibility of a viable Palestinian state. So long as these factions have sympathetic representation in parliament, there can be no peace.

While it is essential that the Palestinian Authority make efforts to control armed factions that target Israeli civilians, it is equally important for Israel to rein in it's own radical elements.

The settlers are undeniable provocateurs whose actions ultimately result in continued terrorism against Israel. In fact, according to the IDF, 96% of all acts of terrorism against Israel actually occur in the West Bank and Gaza (which means such attacks are directed at IDF soldiers, Israeli police, or settlers). While it sounds like an oversimplification, Israel could in fact cut its terrorist attack numbers by 96% percent if they would remove all settlements and the young soldiers that are currently deployed to protect them. In the name of Israeli national security, the government should crack down on these extremist elements. While civil conflict is a serious possibility, many in Israeli defense circles agree that if the Israeli security forces were to use even half of the capacity and tactics that they currently use against Hamas and PIJ, the Israeli extremists would buckle in no time. While such a confrontation would be tragic, it would be beneficial in the long term.

Peter Muller
Washington D.C., 20008