Islamist Ra’ed Salah Again Convicted of Incitement

Ra’ed Salah, the former head of the radical Northen Islamic Movement, was convicted Sunday of fomenting incitement against Israelis, advocating violence and praising murderers. Salah was already serving a suspended jail sentence for similar crimes, so the decision by the Haifa court is likely to lead to jail time.

The current case against Salah involved speeches he gave in 2017, in the wake of Arab riots on Har HaBayis. He gave a series of incendiary speeches, accusing Israel of “taking over Har HaBayis. Among the instances of incitement was a speech he gave at the funerals of the three murderers of Israeli police officers Ha’il Satawi,and Kamil Shanan, who were killed in the Har HaBayis terror attack in July of that year. The terrorists were given a mass funeral in Umm el-Faham, where they lived, that was replete with anti-Israel slogans, Palestinian flags, and speeches inciting Arabs to commit more acts of terror, many of which were presented by Salah, police said.

Salah had been arrested numerous times in the past for incitement, and has served time in prison. Salah was arrested and jailed for incitement in October of 2015, as tensions rose in Jerusalem. Salah was accused of spreading rumors and inciting Arabs over the supposed Israeli “takeover” of Har HaBayis at that time as well. As a result of that incitement, the state charged, Salah inspired dozens of Arabs to carry out terror attacks against Israel. The Movement, said Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, was one of the three “pillars,” along with the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, of incitement against Jews and Israelis.

Salah was jailed again last year after he advocated attacking Jews who went to the Kosel, encouraging his followers to throw rocks and riot. “We are aware of attempts by Salah to fuel the tensions on Har HaBayis ahead of Pesach,” Netanyahu said at the time. “He is a one-man powder keg. I request that security officials and the Justice Minister take action to keep him away [from Jerusalem]. He should be in jail already.”