Israel/Palestine
Related: About this forumIsrael bans Islamist Arab party, says it's inciting violence
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/0ab6361438844de18bc4e627c24b7c19/israel-bans-islamist-party-says-its-inciting-violenceThe government declared the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement of Israel illegal, saying its activists could be subject to arrest if they violate the ban.
The party, which provides religious and educational services for Israeli Arabs, routinely accuses Israel of trying to take over a sensitive holy site in Jerusalem, a charge Israel denies. The site is at the heart of the latest surge in Israeli-Palestinian violence.
After the decision, Israeli forces searched more than a dozen of the group's offices around the country, seizing computers, files and funds, police said. Authorities also froze its bank accounts and said that 17 organizations affiliated with the party were served with orders to close down.
King_David
(14,851 posts)And with what's happening now in places like France , it definitely will not be the last Country to ban radical Islamist parties or groups ....
grossproffit
(5,591 posts)Might be good to a bit of research.
Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)Israel has outlawed an Islamist group it blames for inciting the countrys Arab citizens and fuelling a two-month wave of deadly violence.
The move was swiftly condemned by Arab leaders and threatens to worsen already strained relations with Israels Arab minority.
The northern branch of the Islamic Movement of Israel, which provides religious and educational services for Israeli Arabs, routinely accuses Israel of trying to take over a sensitive holy site in Jerusalem, a charge Israel denies. The site is at the heart of the latest surge in Israeli-Palestinian violence.
The government announced early on Tuesday that the security cabinet had approved the measure, which had been widely expected. Israeli politicians have repeatedly called for a ban on the group since the violence erupted in mid-September.
The goal is to stop the dangerous incitement at home and prevent harm to innocent life, said Binyamin Netanyahu, the prime minister.
After the decision, Israeli police ordered the closure of 17 organisations affiliated with the group and searched more than a dozen of the organisations offices, seizing computers, files and funds. Authorities also froze the groups bank accounts. The government said activists could be subject to arrest if they violate the ban.
The groups leader, the radical cleric Raed Salah, said his party would fight the measure and continue its mission. All these measures done by the Israeli establishment are oppressive and condemned, Salah said in a statement. He said he and two other party leaders had been summoned to police questioning.
Salah is due to start an 11-month jail term this month in connection with incitement charges stemming from a 2007 sermon in which he allegedly called for a new uprising against Israel. Salah was previously imprisoned for funnelling money to Hamas, which rules Gaza.
The government claimed the movement was affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, had ties to Hamas and was committed to Israels destruction. It also accused the movement of continuous incitement to violence and racism.
In particular, it claimed the movement had led a campaign of lies and incitement by accusing Israel of plotting to take over the Jerusalem holy site at the heart of the current round of violence.
Israels public security minister, Gilad Erdan, sought to link the decision to the attacks in Paris, saying: Israel must act as an example and spearhead the struggle against radical Islam, whose emissaries we saw massacring innocent people in Paris.
Arab leaders condemned the move, saying it was aimed at incriminating all Arabs in Israel. Arabs make up roughly 20% of Israels population, holding citizenship rights but frequently suffering discrimination in jobs, housing and public services.
Mohammed Barakeh, the head of an umbrella group of Arab-Israeli political parties and community leaders, told Israeli Army Radio the decision was an unjustified draconian step that is meant to incriminate the entire Arab population. The umbrella organisation called an emergency meeting to discuss the ban.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/17/israel-bans-islamist-group-islamic-movement-of-israel