Israel bans Islamist party for ‘inciting violence’

Based largely in northern Israel, the radical branch of the Islamic Movement is responsible for provoking violence on the Temple Mount compound, leading to weeks of deadly attacks against Israelis. The site is at the heart of the latest surge in Israeli-Palestinian violence.

“The Security Cabinet decision was made following a series of in-depth discussions with all relevant legal and security elements; the goal is to stop the risky incitement at home and prevent harm to innocent life”.

Police and agents of the Shin Bet domestic security service raided offices of the movement and 17 associated organisations in Arab communities across Israel on Tuesday, police said.

“All these measures done by the Israeli establishment are oppressive and condemned”, Salah said in a statement.

The government claimed the movement was affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, had ties to Hamas and was committed to Israel’s destruction.

A police spokeswoman said Salah was summoned to police headquarters to be notified formally of the edict but was not under arrest.

Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan sought to link the decision to the attacks in Paris, saying that “Israel must act as an example and spearhead the struggle against radical Islam, whose emissaries we saw massacring innocent people in Paris” and elsewhere.

“Outlawing the Islamic movement is an appropriate move that the Zionist Union demanded more than a month ago, and it’s a shame it took [Netanyahu] so long to take this necessary step”, the party said. The Islamic Movement’s northern branch does not participate in Israeli elections and its popularity is hard to gauge.

Arab leaders and lawmakers condemned the move, saying it was aimed at “incriminating” all Arabs in Israel. Arabs make up roughly 20% of Israel’s population, holding citizenship rights but frequently suffering discrimination in jobs, housing and public services. The umbrella organization held an emergency meeting about the ban and called for a general strike later this week.

This is not the first such ban by Israel.

The attackers have mainly been young Palestinians who appear to be acting on their own, frustrated with Israel’s occupation, a frozen peace process and the leadership of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, whose calls for peaceful resistance they have ignored.

Israel killed 69 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, 18 others in the Gaza Strip and one Palestinian in Negev.

In all, 14 Israelis have been killed since early October and Israeli security forces have killed more than 80 Palestinians, half accused by Israel of attacking Jews.

“I am proud to persist as head of the Islamic Movement and will be victorious in its name and victorious in its principles, Jerusalem and the blessed al-Aqsa mosque paramount among them”, Salah said in a statement.

Still, there has been a sharp increase in visits to the holy site over the years by Jewish activists, who would like to open it to Jewish prayer.

Salah has alleged in speeches and annual rallies that Israel plans to expand its control there. Since 2001, the Islamic Movement has bussed tens of thousands of supporters to the mosque compound each year to strengthen the Muslim presence.