Member of banned Islamic group questioned over incitement

An alleged senior member of a recently outlawed Islamist group was detained by police for questioning Wednesday on suspicion of incitement to terrorism and violence, as well as supporting an illegal organization.

The investigation into the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement member by police’s Lahav 433 major crimes unit was launched with the approval of the State Attorney’s Office, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said in a statement.

The unnamed activist had expressed support for the Northern Branch on multiple social media platforms since the organization was outlawed last year, the statement said. He also openly talked about his position within the organization.

Police said his online statements and own confirmation of his role in the Northern Branch amounted to incitement.

Last year, Israel banned the radical northern branch of the Islamic Movement, accusing it of links to terrorist groups and stoking the recent wave of violence that has seen 36 Israelis, two Americans and an Eritrean national killed in a spate of stabbing, car-ramming and shooting attacks. Some 238 Palestinians, a Jordanian and a Sudanese migrant have also been killed, according to AFP figures, most of them in the course of carrying out attacks, Israel says.

After the security cabinet declared the movement illegal last September, then-defense minister Moshe Ya’alon signed an edict banning any activity connected to the group.

Founded in the 1970s, the Islamic Movement is not just a political organization but also a religious outreach group and social service provider rolled into one. The movement’s overarching goal is to make Israeli Muslims more religious and it owes much of its popularity to providing services often lacking in Israel’s Arab communities. Today the group runs kindergartens, colleges, health clinics, mosques and even a sports league – sometimes under the same roof.

The movement split two decades ago. The more moderate southern branch began fielding candidates for Israel’s Knesset in 1996 and is now part of the Joint (Arab) List, an alliance of several Arab-Israeli political parties. Three of the Joint List’s 13 current Knesset members are part of the movement. The more hard-line northern branch rejects any legitimization of Israel’s government and has called on its adherents to boycott elections.

In May of this year, northern branch leader Raed Salah began a nine-month prison sentence for incitement to violence and racism over an inflammatory sermon he delivered in 2007 in Jerusalem.

During the sermon, Salah expressed hope that “the streets of Jerusalem be purified with the blood of the innocent, who shed it in order to separate from their souls the soldiers of the Israel occupation, also in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.” He further said that “our finest moment will be when we meet Allah as martyrs in Al-Aqsa.”

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.