(Al-Monitor) Rina Bassist - On July 16, the Haifa District Court rejected an appeal by Sheikh Raed Salah, chief of the outlawed Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement, against his prison sentence of 28 months in jail. In November 2019, Salah was found guilty of incitement to terror for expressing on several occasions sympathy with terrorists or encouraging terrorism, including a sermon he delivered after the July 2017 terror attack by three Israeli Arabs outside the Temple Mount compound, in which two Israeli police officers were killed. Salah praised the "martyrs of Al-Aqsa" and hailed their actions. Rejecting Salah's appeal, the court stated that Salah's contention that the 2017 attack was not terror - but resistance - was "outrageous." The judges added that free speech did not extend to support for violent acts, especially for a community leader. "The public looks to him and learns from his words, as well as his silence, on supporting criminal acts. And so, he bears responsibility."
2020-07-20 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive