Israel Matzav

Time for Israel to ban Sheikh Raed Sallah

Writing in Haaretz, former Defense Minister and Ambassador to the United States Moshe Arens says that Israel has not taken sufficient action against Raed Sallah and his Islamist movement.

Sheikh Ra'ad Salah was arrested in London for illegal entry into the United Kingdom. There he has been labeled by the British media as a "preacher of hate" and a "virulent anti-Semite." The sheikh is well known in Israel and Israelis can vouch for the veracity of these appellations. However Salah's attorney in London has stated quite correctly that the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement that Salah heads "is a legitimate organization which Israel has never moved to ban."

Who can explain the blatant inconsistency between Salah's scandalous and treacherous behavior and the subversive nature of the Islamic movement he leads and their continued unhindered activity in Israel?

A reminder of who it is we are dealing with can be found in the conclusions of the Orr Commission that investigated the events of October 2000. According to the final report, Salah was guilty of "transmission of messages that negated the legitimacy of the existence of the State of Israel and presenting the state as an enemy ... he had a substantial contribution to provoking tempers and the violent and widespread outburst that took place in the Arab sector at the beginning of October 2000."

Read the whole thing. He makes a pretty good case for the proposition that Sallah is endangering the state's security.

Labels: Islamic Movement in Israel, Moshe Arens, Raed Sallah

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 6:51 PM