▁fa ctions ▁in ▁Israel . ▁Ult imately , ▁the ▁core ▁problem ▁that ▁extrem ism ▁presents ▁in ▁situations ▁of ▁prot ract ed ▁conflict ▁is ▁less ▁the ▁sever ity ▁of ▁the ▁activities ▁( although ▁violence , ▁tra uma , ▁and ▁es cal ation ▁are ▁obvious ▁concerns ) ▁but ▁more ▁so ▁the ▁closed , ▁fixed , ▁and ▁int ol er ant ▁nature ▁of ▁extrem ist ▁att itudes , ▁and ▁their ▁subsequent ▁imper vious ness ▁to ▁change . ▁ ▁The ories ▁of ▁extrem ism ▁▁ ▁Eric ▁Hof fer ▁and ▁Arthur ▁Schles inger , ▁Jr . ▁were ▁two ▁political ▁writers ▁during ▁the ▁mid - 2 0 th ▁century ▁who ▁gave ▁what ▁pur port ed ▁to ▁be ▁accounts ▁of ▁" polit ical ▁extrem ism ". ▁Hof fer ▁wrote ▁The ▁True ▁Bel ie ver ▁and ▁The ▁Pass ion ate ▁State ▁of ▁Mind ▁about ▁the ▁psych ology ▁and ▁soci ology ▁of ▁those ▁who ▁join ▁" fan at ical " ▁mass ▁movements . ▁Schles inger ▁wrote ▁The ▁V ital ▁Center , ▁champion ing ▁a ▁supposed ▁" center " ▁of ▁politics ▁within ▁which ▁" main stream " ▁political ▁disc ourse ▁takes ▁place , ▁and ▁unders cor ing ▁the ▁alleg ed ▁need ▁for ▁soci eties ▁to ▁draw ▁definite ▁lines ▁regarding ▁what ▁falls ▁outside ▁of ▁this ▁accept ability . ▁ ▁Se ym our ▁Martin ▁Li ps et ▁argued ▁that ▁besides ▁the ▁extrem ism ▁of ▁the ▁left ▁and ▁right ▁there ▁is ▁also ▁an ▁extrem ism ▁of ▁the ▁center , ▁and ▁that ▁it ▁actually ▁formed ▁the ▁base ▁of ▁fasc ism . ▁ ▁La ird ▁Wil co x