From its establishment in 1974, Gush Emunim has been characterized by a tension between this goal and an aspiration to redeem the nation through an act of unprecedented national regeneration. The political reality (the nonmessianic policy of the Israeli Government and Arab resistance) brought this tension to a peak, changing a previously nonviolent, idealistic organization into a vigilante, violent organization. This transformation was made possible by the group's fundamentalist stance, which based political ideology on the Torah. Further, the group believed that in the event of a conflict between democracy and Zionism, Zionism takes precedence and extralegal action to preserve it becomes legitimate. These views, coupled with the notion of redemption through action espoused by Yehuda Etzion and supported by rabbinical authority, led to escalating terrorist actions. This process highlights how the combination of a mesianic belief in national redemption and a desire to hasten the process of redemption coupled with endemic national conflict can lead to incremental violence and terrorism. 57 footnotes.