Raed Salah
Encyclopedia
Raed Salah is the leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel
. He was born in Umm al-Fahm
- an Israeli-Arab city bordering the Green Line
- and was elected as the mayor of that city three times; in 1989, 1993 and 1997. He has eight children and is a former poet
Salah was banned from entry into the United Kingdom
. He was banned for alleged fundamentalist activities, and alleged antisemitic remarks. In June 2011, he was arrested for deportation by British authorities three days after entering the country.. He won a case against him . He was convicted in Israel of funding Hamas
, and of having contact with an Iran
ian intelligence agent; he served a two-year sentence from 2003 to 2005. In 2010 he served a five-month sentence after being convicted of assault
ing a police officer and leading a violent demonstration.
, and of having contact with an Iran
ian intelligence agent. He served a two-year sentence from 2003 to 2005, after which he was released under a deal that barred him from traveling abroad and required him to check in with an officer every month.
Salah said the charges against him were a "mockery".
Jonathan Cook
, writing in Al-Ahram Weekly
, reported human rights non-governmental organizations stated that Salah had been "unfairly denied bail despite his status and community ties." Cook also stated while Salah and four other party leaders stood trial on serious charges of aiding and abetting a "terror organization", the Israeli police said the accusations revolved primarily around money laundering, and that for eighteen months prior to his arrest in 2003, Salah was barred from leaving Israel. According to Cook, the newspaper produced by the northern branch of the Islamic Movement was shut down and charities he had founded were closed, and since the election of Ariel Sharon
, the Shin Bet had been monitoring and taping phone calls made by Salah and his officials, and intercepting e-mails as well. Cook cited rumors that over 200,000 recordings were awaiting translation from Arabic to Hebrew to prepare for his trial.
Salah denied the accusations that he had made such statements, and though he was charged with inciting violence and racism, he was never convicted.
and Muslim
leaders from holding a meeting and press conference organized by Salah in Jerusalem to put forward their opposition to Israeli excavation work being carried out near the Al-Aqsa Mosque
complex, known to Palestinians as Haram al-Sharif. Police claimed that the organization behind the event, the Al-Aqsa Foundation
, was affiliated with Hamas
. When the event was moved to another hotel after receiving a cancellation order, Israeli police moved in and broke up the meeting. Salah told The Guardian
newspaper that this "childish behavior" on the part of Israeli security forces "...does not protect security. It actually makes the security situation explosive."
In 2010, Salah was arrested for allegedly attacking a policeman in the Old City of Jerusalem during the 2007 protests. He was convicted and served a five-month prison sentence. When he was released he said: "We continue our activities fearlessly until we fulfill our aspirations." Salah was acquitted by an Israeli court on charges of rioting and "involvement in an illegal gathering" in connection with the 2007 protest, a judge ruling that the charges, brought by police, were "inconsistent with witness testimony and video evidence produced by the defence".
On October 2, 2009, Salah gave a speech which was branded "incitement" by police. Arab riots over the Temple Mount were taking place in Jerusalem and surrounding villages, and police claimed that he had incited rioters to violence. On October 6, 2009, Salah was arrested in Wadi Joz. Following a remand hearing before the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court, Salah was released hours later, but was banned from entering Jerusalem for thirty days. Judge Shimon Feinberg argued that there was good reason to suspect Salah as a dangerous body, and that his presence in Jerusalem "could be inciting".
, with the aim of breaking Israel's blockade. Salah was on the Mavi Marmara
, the lead ship in the convoy. On 31 May 2010, the flotilla was intercepted and the Mavi Marmara was boarded by the Israeli Navy, and activists on the Mavi Marmara attacked the Israeli commandos with iron bars cut from the ship's railings. In the subsequent clash, nine activists were killed and dozens injured. Seven Israeli naval commandos were also injured. An Israeli Police source told the Jerusalem Post that Salah tried to provide cover for an activist who shot at naval commandos during the raid, but that the gunman had already been hit. Early Palestinian reports claimed that Salah had been critically injured by a gunshot wound to the head. The Israeli Foreign Ministry, dismissed the reports as "rumors" and claimed that Salah was not seriously hurt, but suffered minor injuries. He was removed from the ship and taken to Ashdod, and questioned.
Salah along with the head of the Islamic Movement's southern branch, Hamad Abu Daa'bas, was relocated to the Ela Prison in Beersheba
to await a hearing before the Ashkelon
Magistrate's Court on their involvement with the flotilla. On June 6, Salah was released on NIS 150,000 bail, but placed under house arrest and temporarily barred from leaving Israel. Hours after he was released, Salah gave a speech in Umm al-Fahm, during which he claimed that Zionism
"which began in Turkey, would end in Turkey".
, Yasmin Qureshi
and Richard Burden
. His request to be released on bail while awaiting the outcome of court proceedings despite the Home Office Secretary's decision to bar him from the country was granted on Friday, July 15. He was released on Monday, July 18, under strict conditions that include wearing an electronic tag, observing a night-time curfew, reporting to immigration officials, refraining from public-speaking and staying at the home of friend.
Palestinians in the UK, Israel and the Palestinian Territories
accused the Israeli government of being behind the arrest. In a statement, Home Secretary Theresa May
said, "I will seek to exclude an individual if I consider that his or her presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good, and the government makes no apologies for refusing people access to the UK if we believe that they might seek to undermine our society. Coming here is a privilege that we refuse to extend to those who seek to subvert our shared values."
Fatah spokesman, Ousama al Qawasami, has said that the arrest of Sheikh Raed Salah in Britain will give Israel the green light on detention and deportation and is a decision in identification and congruity with Israeli policies of racial discrimination against Palestinians.
A judicial review of Britain's June arrest took place on September 30th, 2011; the English High Court ruled that Salah was entitled to damages due to "wrongful detention". In response, Theresa May sought to ban Salah; a series of emails obtained reveal her correspondence with the Community Security Trust
(CST), who consider Salah to be an anti-Semite. On October 26 an immigration tribunal concluded that May had been justified in her position. The tribunal stated that it is "satisfied that the appellant has engaged in the unacceptable behaviour of fostering hatred which might lead to intercommunity violence in the UK. We are satisfied that the appellant’s words and actions tend to be inflammatory, divisive, insulting and likely to foment tension and radicalism."
Islamic Movement in Israel
The Islamic Movement in Israel is a movement that aims to advocate Islam among Israeli Arabs. It operates on three levels: religious , social and anti-Zionist...
. He was born in Umm al-Fahm
Umm al-Fahm
Umm al-Fahm is a city in the Haifa District of Israel with a population of 43,300, nearly all of whom are Arab citizens of Israel. The city is situated on the Umm al-Fahm mountain ridge, the highest point of which is Mt. Iskander , overlooking Wadi Ara...
- an Israeli-Arab city bordering the Green Line
Green Line (Israel)
Green Line refers to the demarcation lines set out in the 1949 Armistice Agreements between Israel and its neighbours after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War...
- and was elected as the mayor of that city three times; in 1989, 1993 and 1997. He has eight children and is a former poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
Salah was banned from entry into the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He was banned for alleged fundamentalist activities, and alleged antisemitic remarks. In June 2011, he was arrested for deportation by British authorities three days after entering the country.. He won a case against him . He was convicted in Israel of funding Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
, and of having contact with an Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian intelligence agent; he served a two-year sentence from 2003 to 2005. In 2010 he served a five-month sentence after being convicted of assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
ing a police officer and leading a violent demonstration.
Hamas fundraising and 2003 conviction
Salah was convicted by Israel of funding HamasHamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
, and of having contact with an Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian intelligence agent. He served a two-year sentence from 2003 to 2005, after which he was released under a deal that barred him from traveling abroad and required him to check in with an officer every month.
Salah said the charges against him were a "mockery".
Jonathan Cook
Jonathan Cook
Jonathan Cook is a British writer and a freelance journalist based in Nazareth, Israel, who writes about the Middle East, and more specifically, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.-Background:...
, writing in Al-Ahram Weekly
Al-Ahram Weekly
Al-Ahram Weekly is an Egyptian English-language weekly broadsheet printed by the Al-Ahram Publishing House in Cairo, Egypt.It was established in 1991 by the Al-Ahram newspaper, which also runs a French-language weekly version, Al-Ahram Hebdo....
, reported human rights non-governmental organizations stated that Salah had been "unfairly denied bail despite his status and community ties." Cook also stated while Salah and four other party leaders stood trial on serious charges of aiding and abetting a "terror organization", the Israeli police said the accusations revolved primarily around money laundering, and that for eighteen months prior to his arrest in 2003, Salah was barred from leaving Israel. According to Cook, the newspaper produced by the northern branch of the Islamic Movement was shut down and charities he had founded were closed, and since the election of Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006....
, the Shin Bet had been monitoring and taping phone calls made by Salah and his officials, and intercepting e-mails as well. Cook cited rumors that over 200,000 recordings were awaiting translation from Arabic to Hebrew to prepare for his trial.
Allegations of hate speech and antisemitism
According to reports, during a protest speech in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Wadi Joz on February 16, 2007, Salah accused Jews of using children's blood to bake bread. Israeli newspapers at the time quoted him as saying:
We [Muslims] have never allowed ourselves to knead [the dough for] the bread that breaks the fast in the holy month of RamadanRamadanRamadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, which lasts 29 or 30 days. It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which participating Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex during daylight hours and is intended to teach Muslims about patience, spirituality, humility and...
with children's blood. Whoever wants a more thorough explanation, let him ask what used to happen to some children in Europe, whose blood was mixed in with the dough of the [Jewish] holy bread.
Salah denied the accusations that he had made such statements, and though he was charged with inciting violence and racism, he was never convicted.
Activitism in Jerusalem
On February 28, 2007, Israeli police prevented ChristianPalestinian Christian
Palestinian Christians are Arabic-speaking Christians descended from the people of the geographical area of Palestine. Within Palestine, there are churches and believers from many Christian denominations, including Oriental Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholic , Protestant, and others...
and Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
leaders from holding a meeting and press conference organized by Salah in Jerusalem to put forward their opposition to Israeli excavation work being carried out near the Al-Aqsa Mosque
Al-Aqsa Mosque
Al-Aqsa Mosque also known as al-Aqsa, is the third holiest site in Sunni Islam and is located in the Old City of Jerusalem...
complex, known to Palestinians as Haram al-Sharif. Police claimed that the organization behind the event, the Al-Aqsa Foundation
Al-Aqsa Foundation
The al-Aqsa Foundation is an international charity with alleged ties to the Palestinian militant organisation Hamas. The head office of the foundation was located in Germany until it was closed by the German authorities in July 2002...
, was affiliated with Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
. When the event was moved to another hotel after receiving a cancellation order, Israeli police moved in and broke up the meeting. Salah told The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper that this "childish behavior" on the part of Israeli security forces "...does not protect security. It actually makes the security situation explosive."
In 2010, Salah was arrested for allegedly attacking a policeman in the Old City of Jerusalem during the 2007 protests. He was convicted and served a five-month prison sentence. When he was released he said: "We continue our activities fearlessly until we fulfill our aspirations." Salah was acquitted by an Israeli court on charges of rioting and "involvement in an illegal gathering" in connection with the 2007 protest, a judge ruling that the charges, brought by police, were "inconsistent with witness testimony and video evidence produced by the defence".
On October 2, 2009, Salah gave a speech which was branded "incitement" by police. Arab riots over the Temple Mount were taking place in Jerusalem and surrounding villages, and police claimed that he had incited rioters to violence. On October 6, 2009, Salah was arrested in Wadi Joz. Following a remand hearing before the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court, Salah was released hours later, but was banned from entering Jerusalem for thirty days. Judge Shimon Feinberg argued that there was good reason to suspect Salah as a dangerous body, and that his presence in Jerusalem "could be inciting".
Involvement with 2010 Gaza flotilla
Salah participated in the 2010 "Gaza Freedom Flotilla", a flotilla carrying 10,000 tonnes of aid to the Gaza StripGaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
, with the aim of breaking Israel's blockade. Salah was on the Mavi Marmara
MV Mavi Marmara
MV is a Comoros-flagged passenger ship, which was formerly owned and operated by İDO Istanbul Fast Ferries Co. Inc. on the line Sarayburnu, Istanbul-Marmara Island-Avşa Island in the Sea of Marmara. Built at the Golden Gate Shipyard by Turkish Shipbuilding Co...
, the lead ship in the convoy. On 31 May 2010, the flotilla was intercepted and the Mavi Marmara was boarded by the Israeli Navy, and activists on the Mavi Marmara attacked the Israeli commandos with iron bars cut from the ship's railings. In the subsequent clash, nine activists were killed and dozens injured. Seven Israeli naval commandos were also injured. An Israeli Police source told the Jerusalem Post that Salah tried to provide cover for an activist who shot at naval commandos during the raid, but that the gunman had already been hit. Early Palestinian reports claimed that Salah had been critically injured by a gunshot wound to the head. The Israeli Foreign Ministry, dismissed the reports as "rumors" and claimed that Salah was not seriously hurt, but suffered minor injuries. He was removed from the ship and taken to Ashdod, and questioned.
Salah along with the head of the Islamic Movement's southern branch, Hamad Abu Daa'bas, was relocated to the Ela Prison in Beersheba
Beersheba
Beersheba is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 194,300....
to await a hearing before the Ashkelon
Ashkelon
Ashkelon is a coastal city in the South District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The ancient seaport of Ashkelon dates back to the Neolithic Age...
Magistrate's Court on their involvement with the flotilla. On June 6, Salah was released on NIS 150,000 bail, but placed under house arrest and temporarily barred from leaving Israel. Hours after he was released, Salah gave a speech in Umm al-Fahm, during which he claimed that Zionism
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
"which began in Turkey, would end in Turkey".
Criticism of Israeli policy
On May 24, 2011, Salah addressed an audience of Arab-Israeli students from Tel Aviv University, where he reiterated his anti-occupation position stating: "We must keep fighting until we remove the Israeli occupation and free the holy Jerusalem."2011 arrest in the United Kingdom
On Tuesday, June 28, 2011 after entering the country and making an appearance at a meeting in Leicester, Salah was detained in London. He had been due to attend a Palestine Solidarity Campaign meeting in the House of Commons on the following evening, attended by Labour MPs Jeremy CorbynJeremy Corbyn
Jeremy Bernard Corbyn is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Islington North since 1983.-Early and personal life:...
, Yasmin Qureshi
Yasmin Qureshi
Yasmin Qureshi is a British-Pakistani Labour Party politician and a barrister practicing criminal law. She was elected as the Member of Parliament for Bolton South East in the May 2010 general election.-Early life:...
and Richard Burden
Richard Burden
Richard Burden is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Northfield since 1992. Together with close friend and fellow ex-Young Liberal Peter Hain M.P., he was an enthusiastic supporter of the ill-fated Alternative Vote system in the May 2011...
. His request to be released on bail while awaiting the outcome of court proceedings despite the Home Office Secretary's decision to bar him from the country was granted on Friday, July 15. He was released on Monday, July 18, under strict conditions that include wearing an electronic tag, observing a night-time curfew, reporting to immigration officials, refraining from public-speaking and staying at the home of friend.
Palestinians in the UK, Israel and the Palestinian Territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
accused the Israeli government of being behind the arrest. In a statement, Home Secretary Theresa May
Theresa May
Theresa Mary May is a British Conservative politician who is Home Secretary in the Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition government. She was elected to Parliament in 1997 as the Member of Parliament for Maidenhead, and served as the Chairman of the Conservative Party, 2003–04...
said, "I will seek to exclude an individual if I consider that his or her presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good, and the government makes no apologies for refusing people access to the UK if we believe that they might seek to undermine our society. Coming here is a privilege that we refuse to extend to those who seek to subvert our shared values."
Fatah spokesman, Ousama al Qawasami, has said that the arrest of Sheikh Raed Salah in Britain will give Israel the green light on detention and deportation and is a decision in identification and congruity with Israeli policies of racial discrimination against Palestinians.
A judicial review of Britain's June arrest took place on September 30th, 2011; the English High Court ruled that Salah was entitled to damages due to "wrongful detention". In response, Theresa May sought to ban Salah; a series of emails obtained reveal her correspondence with the Community Security Trust
Community Security Trust
The Community Security Trust is a British charity established in 1994 to ensure the safety and security of the Jewish community in the UK. It follows a history of Jewish defence organisations in the United Kingdom dating back to the 1930s...
(CST), who consider Salah to be an anti-Semite. On October 26 an immigration tribunal concluded that May had been justified in her position. The tribunal stated that it is "satisfied that the appellant has engaged in the unacceptable behaviour of fostering hatred which might lead to intercommunity violence in the UK. We are satisfied that the appellant’s words and actions tend to be inflammatory, divisive, insulting and likely to foment tension and radicalism."