Newsday reports March 15 that militant settlers gathered at the Hebron tomb of Baruch Goldstein to mark the 11th anniversary of his massacre of 29 Palestinians as they prayed at the Tomb of Patriarchs, where Abraham is believed to be buried. (The 39-year-old native Brooklynite was beaten to death by survivors.) A photo accompanying the story shows one settler reverentially kissing Goldstein's tomb. The gathering served as a rallying point for settlers pledging to resist any attempt to evacuate them from the Occupied Territories. Israeli security services are said to be bracing for a violent backlash from the armed settler right.

"Sharon, Lily is waiting for you" is one popular settler graffito, referring to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's late wife. Another favorite is "Sharon, Rabin is waiting for you," in reference to former Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin, who was assassinated by fellow sicko Yigal Amir in 1994 because he had signed the Oslo peace accords.

For those who want a first-hand sampling of this sicko subculture, charming apologias for mass murder can be read on the web page of the Baruch Goldstein fan club.