Sheikh Salah rejects Israeli ban on Islamic Movement

Head of Islamic Movement in Israel Sheikh Raed Salah yesterday rejected the Israeli ban of the movement, stressing that this decision is “oppressive”, a statement said.

“The Islamic Movement will remain and continue its mission and protect Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque,” the statement said, “I am honoured to be the head of this movement.” He said that he will seek to lift the “oppression” on the movement by all means.

The Israeli security cabinet yesterday banned the Islamic Movement, considering it, its leaders, members and institutions outlaws.

Consequently, Israeli security services Shin Bet raided dozens of the movement’s institutions and called for Sheikh Salah and Sheikh Kamal Al-Khatib, deputy head of the movement, and Ahmed Suleiman, chief of its Al-Quds file, for questioning. They also arrested the Chief of External Relations Yousef Al-Awawdeh.

The Israeli government accuses the Islamic Movement of inciting violence and spreading false information about the situation in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque, as well as being a sister organisation of Hamas and an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Meanwhile, Hamas denounced the banning of the Islamic Movement in Israel.

In a statement reported by Al-Resalah newspaper, Hamas said that the Israeli decision to ban the Islamic Movement is “racist”, stressing the decision targets all Palestinians in Israel. It added that the move is “punishes” the movement for its protection of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Hamas called for the international community to bear its responsibility over the “racist” Israeli measures, which proves that the Israeli occupation is “no more than a terrorist gang.”

In a statement, the head of the High Arab Follow-up Committee in Israel Mohamed Baraka condemned the ban on the Islamic Movement. He stressed that the movement would remain part of the Committee.

Baraka also warned of the raids of the Israeli security services on the group’s institutions and the houses of its leaders.

“Netanyahu’s government, with its extremist parties, is seeking to cover up its criminal, violent and racist policies against our people wherever they are and it is still classifying itself as part of the free world,” he said.

The Israeli acts, including “wars, destruction, devastation and depriving the Palestinians from their rights for decades are the real terror,” he explained.

Baraka also said that Israel is exploiting the period when the media is busy covering the Paris and Beirut attacks to carry out crimes against Palestinians in their land.

Earlier this month the Israeli security service Shin Bet revealed it was against the outlawing of the Islamic Movement. According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Shin Bet said information collected on the Islamic Movement “does not link the group to actual violent activity or the transfer of funds to other entities that fund or carry out terrorist activity.”