Sheikh Raed Salah is leading protests that slander Israeli soldiers and promote false genocide claims.

By World Israel News Staff

A radical imam who served time in prison for terror-related offenses is leading protests in Israel against the IDF, which include signs falsely alleging that Israeli soldiers are committing genocide in Gaza, a watchdog group warns.

Images circulating on Arabic-language social media channels on Sunday evening showed Sheikh Ra’ed Salah at the forefront of demonstrations accusing the IDF of crimes against humanity in the Strip.

Salah, an Islamic preacher and the leader of the outlawed Northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, stood next to a man holding a sign which called on Israeli troops to “stop murdering women and children.”

The imam has a long history of supporting terror and incitement against the Jewish State and its security forces. In 2003, he was convicted of fundraising for Hamas and served six months in prison.

Salah served additional stints in prison for giving sermons that glorified violence against Jews and Israelis, as well as for assaulting a police officer in Jerusalem.

“Sheikh Ra’ed Salah was convicted of supporting terror. He lead a movement that was banned from operating in Israel during the Second Intifada due to its terror ties,” Maor Tzemach, Chariman of NGO Your Jersualem, told World Israel News.

“But now, he’s the leader of protests against ‘genocide.’ He’s front and center at these demonstrations that accuse Israel of serious human rights violations,” Tzemach continued.

“The sheikh’s presence makes it clear that these aren’t legitimate protests that are part of the discourse in a democratic society,” he added.

Rather, Salah’s participation proves that the demonstrations have a radical Islamic agenda, Tzemach said.

“There can’t be a reality in which a convicted terror supporter is protesting against Israeli soldiers in such an inciteful matter, falsely accusing the IDF of genocide and stirring up hatred during an ongoing war,” Tzemach said.

Tzemach called on the authorities to take steps to end the protests, which he described as “hotbeds of incitement, that directly lead to the creation of new terrorists.”

He also said it was critical for the security agencies to “put a stop to Sheikh Ra’ed Salah’s activities, including by charging him criminally for supporting terror.”

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Members of the Arab Joint List alliance visit notorious Temple Mount imam, who was recently arrested for incitement.

By World Israel News Staff

Thee Arab-Israeli MKs visited a radical imam who was recently arrested for incitement, posing for a photograph with the Sheikh at his home.

MKs Ahmad Tibi, Ayman Odeh and Youssef Atauna, all of the Arab Joint List alliance, visited Sheikh Ekrima Sabri at his home, sharing a picture of the meeting on their social media accounts.

Maor Tzemach, chairman of the Your Jerusalem NGO, has long raised the alarm regarding incitement on the Temple Mount and Islamic terror in Jerusalem.

Tzemach told World Israel News that it was disturbing for members of the Knesset to visit Sabri, considering his long history of incendiary remarks, along with his pro-terror views.

“For years, Ekrima Sabri, who was once the Grand Mufti of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and a member of Jerusalem’s Islamic Council, has been of the biggest inciters and terror supporters in the State of Israel,” Tzemach said.

“Just two weeks ago, he led a memorial prayer on the Temple Mount for the [assassinated] terrorist Ismail Haniyeh. For that, he received a ridiculous punishment – he was temporarily banned from the Temple Mount,” Tzemach continued. “So these Knesset members went to lift his spirits.”

Tzemach noted the “absurdity” that “these MKS are once again crossing a red line” by visiting a Sheikh notorious for his pro-terror stance, who was only recent arrested for incitement.

“I call on the Speaker of the Knesset [Likud MK Amir Ohana] to urgently launch an Ethics Committee investigation into these lawmakers, focused on their support for terror and Hamas.”

This is far from the first time that Tibi and Odeh have publicly supported terror.

In 2022, Tibi slammed the IDF for killing three terrorists who repeatedly fired at troops and civilians in the Shechem (Nablus) area of Samaria, framing the Israeli government’s elimination of the Al-Aqsa Brigade gunmen as an unlawful execution.

“These assassinations and these executions are an act of terrorism according to international law,” Tibi said in a statement immediately after news of the military operation. “Only the end of the occupation will end the violence.”

In a Knesset address later in the day, Tibi criticized Israel for “executing” the men. He concluded his statement by asking God to have “mercy on the martyrs,” referring to the terrorists.

In October 2021, Odeh attacked now-National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in a hospital corridor, outside of a room where a hunger-striking terrorist was receiving medical care.

Video showed that Odeh was clearly the aggressor in the incident, yet a police investigation into the fight was eventually closed.

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A large poster lauding terrorists was displayed on the Temple Mount compound during the ongoing Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, as Jews were banned from the site.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

A banner glorifying the two Hamas operatives who brutally murdered four Israelis last week in a terror attack was prominently displayed on the Temple Mount on Wednesday morning, as the site was shuttered to Jewish visitors for two days during the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha.

The large poster, which includes the Hamas terror group’s flag, depicts the perpetrators of the shooting attack, Khaled Sabah and Mohanand Shahada, along with phrases praising the terrorists as “our honor” and “generous soldiers who gave their blood.”

“We view the fact that Hamas operatives are freely operating on the Temple Mount and displaying an egregious incitement poster on Eid al-Adha, which glorifies the terrorists who murdered Jewish Israelis, with great severity,” Maor Tzemach, chairman of the Your Jerusalem NGO, which focuses on Israeli sovereignty in the capital city, told World Israel News.

“I expect National Security Minister [Itamar] Ben-Gvir to take down this banner today and stop these terror supporters who are roaming around on the Temple Mount,” he said.

Beyadenu, an NGO advocating for freedom of worship for Jews at the site, said in a statement that “this incitement banner, which lauds terrorists and was created on behalf of Hamas, has been hung on the Temple Mount like on every Muslim holiday.”

The banner is proof of “both the need to clean the Temple Mount of terrorists” and the “disgraceful conduct of the Israeli government, which allows this shame…

“Only in the holiest place for the Jewish people can such incitement to the murder of Jews occur without any interference” from the Israeli authorities, the organization said.

During the Eid al-Fitr holiday in May 2022, a massive Hamas flag was hung on the Temple Mount. After several hours, Israeli police removed the banner.

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Fearing backlash, the Jerusalem municipality rescinds demolition order for illegal mosque expansion; Zionist NGOs slam compromise.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

The Jerusalem municipality folded to pressure from the Arab community and rescinded a demolition order for an illegally built portion of a mosque in the city, Hebrew-language media reported on Monday.

In 2021, an eye-catching golden dome and an additional floor were added to the Al-Rahman Mosque in the Beit Safafa neighborhood several years ago without the proper permitting or safety inspections required for all construction projects in Jerusalem.

Several Zionist NGOs, including Your Jerusalem and Im Tirtzu, raised concerns over both the mosque’s potential safety hazards and the implications for Israeli sovereignty in the city posed by illegal Arab construction and lack of enforcement.

The NGOs petitioned the city for a demolition order to remove that portion of the mosque, and the city originally agreed. But due to intense pressure from the Arab community and after negotiations with the mosque’s caretakers, the city backed down from the demolition plan.

Instead, the dome, which was dubbed “mini Al-Aqsa” due to its golden tint, was repainted gray.

The height of the dome was also be reduced by one meter (approximately three feet), according to Hebrew-language media reports about the agreement between the city and the mosque.

But for right-wing activist groups, the move represents a concession with serious implications for Israeli sovereignty in the capital city.

“We condemn the compromise that was reached with the criminals from Beit Safafa, that following our protest it was agreed that they would paint the illegal golden dome gray,” the Your Jerusalm and Im Tirtzu organizations said in a blistering statement, slamming the Jerusalem municipality.

“An illegal structure that is erected to symbolize the absolute opposition to the existence of the State of Israel should have been painted blue and thrown into the sea. Anything else is just surrender.”

“The capitulation of the municipality to another illegally built structure in the Arab sector of the city is symptomatic of a policy of lack of enforcement, turning a blind eye and inequitable standards between Jews and Arabs,” Chaim Silberstein, Founder and Chairman of sovereignty-focused NGO Keep Jerusalem, told World Israel News.

“There are over 30,000 illegally built structures in the Arab sector whose impact is felt far beyond real estate – it encourages crime, attacks Israel’s sovereignty and prevents orderly urban development,” he added.

“The city, together with the government, must implement a policy of strict enforcement and equal standards or we will cross the line that we already are so close to: complete urban anarchy.”

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“The Flag March symbolizes the reunification of Jerusalem and Israeli sovereignty, and it needs to be able to pass through the Muslim Quarter on its way to the Western Wall,” says head of Zionist NGO.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Despite last week’s rocket fire on Israel’s southern communities and a major uptick in terror attacks in general, a celebratory march through Jerusalem’s Muslim Quarter is expected to take place along its usual route.

The annual Flag March occurs on Jerusalem Day, a holiday commemorating the reunification of Israel’s capital city after the Six-Day War in 1967. Participants in the event sing patriotic songs while dancing and waving Israeli flags, with part of the march’s route winding through a Muslim neighborhood in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Left-wing politicians and terror groups have argued that waving Israeli flags in the neighborhood constitutes a provocation and exacerbates tensions.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir reportedly told his office that this year, the march will take place along its traditional route, despite an increase in terror in recent weeks.

Maor Tzemach, CEO of the NGO Your Jerusalem, told World Israel News that he welcomes the decision to allow marchers to take the traditional route.

“Jerusalem, as a united city under Israeli sovereignty, needs to permit freedom of movement and worship, and therefore needs to allow Jews to move freely and safely throughout the city,” Tzemach told WIN.

“Of course, the Flag March symbolizes the reunification of Jerusalem and Israeli sovereignty, and it needs to be able to pass through the Muslim Quarter on its way to the Western Wall.”

In May 2021, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu caved to threats and forced marchers to take a route that excluded the Muslim Quarter. Despite the concession, terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired a rocket at Jerusalem, disrupting the march and sparking the Operation Guardian of the Walls clash.

This year, under pressure from his coalition partners, Netanyahu is expected to permit the event to take place normally.

However, according to a recent Times of Israel report, the Biden administration may be working behind the scenes to convince Netanyahu to change the parade’s route.

The post Jerusalem Flag March to proceed as normal, via Muslim Quarter – report appeared first on World Israel News.

Supporters of judicial reform and right-wing government will demonstrate in Tel Aviv, tens of thousands expected to participate.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Supporters of the right-wing government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the proposed changes to Israel’s judicial system will hold a large demonstration in Tel Aviv on Thursday evening.

Tens of thousands of Israelis are expected to take part in the march.

The “Liberty March,” organized in part by Zionist NGO Im Tirtzu, encourages those who voted for the current coalition to take to the streets and make their voices heard, after weeks of left-wing protests and an apparently illegal labor strike left the country paralyzed.

Maor Tzemach, CEO of the Your Jerusalem NGO, told World Israel News that his organization will be participating in the march.

“In the anti-judicial reform protests, we see a lot of danger regarding the definition of Israel as a Jewish State, which could lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state and the division of Jerusalem,” Tzemach told WIN.

“It’s important for us to participate in the [pro-judicial reform protests] to safeguard the security of Jerusalem, because we are very restricted right now by liberal courts and bias in the justice system. Currently, there are laws which are meant to keep Jerusalem united and reinforce sovereignty in the city, which can’t be passed.

“We call on everyone who supports judicial reform to come to the protest.”

A promotional video for the march notes that in recent weeks, left-wing protesters have “closed [the streets], burned, and put the country on strike. And we’ve been sitting with our arms crossed, doing nothing.”

The video urged citizens “from the right-wing camp” to join the march “in the heart of ‘the State of Tel Aviv,’” a term that is used to describe the liberal enclave as disconnected from the majority of Israel.

The route of the protest march was approved by police in advance, unlike numerous left-wing demonstrations that have seen Ayalon Highway blocked.

Marchers will meet at the Tel Aviv Museum at 7 p.m. After several activists will speak, the march will continue on Kaplan Street, where left-wing protesters have staged Saturday evening demonstrations since Netanyahu’s return to power in December 2022.

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Palestinian Authority officials threaten ‘violent response’ if Jews visit the Temple Mount.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Officials from the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas terror group are signaling that they are gearing up for violent clashes on the Temple Mount during the upcoming Ramadan holiday, Zionist NGO Your Jerusalem told World Israel News.

The organization monitors Islamic terror and calls to violence on social media and in media statements from Palestinian officials and religious leaders, particularly in the Jewish State’s capital city.

Previous years have seen a spike in terror incidents during the month-long Islamic festival, which begins this Wednesday evening. On the last day of Ramadan in May 2021, Hamas terrorists fired a salvo of rockets at Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, sparking the Israel-Gaza clash Operation Guardian of the Walls.

“Your Jerusalem has noted a huge uptick in incitement to terror and violence in Jerusalem and in Israel, from Hamas and other terror groups,” Maor Tzemach, the CEO of the group, told World Israel News.

Tzemach referenced a statement from a Hamas spokesman, who said that the terror group “is following the Israeli actions [such as permitting Jewish prayer] on the Temple Mount for Ramadan, and will respond accordingly.”

He noted that even figures who are not affiliated with Hamas, such as the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, who is chosen by the Palestinian Authority, are making public statements calling for a decisive “response” towards Israeli activities on the Temple Mount.

“The current Mufti said he expects Arab countries to ‘defend Jerusalem and its residents,’ and that he hopes that there won’t be ‘Israeli provocations’ during Ramadan.”

An example of an “Israel provocation,” Tzemach said, would be Jews visiting the Temple Mount compound – which is the holiest site in Judaism – during the Passover holiday.

Because Passover overlaps with several days of Ramadan this year, It’s likely that Israel will permit Jews to tour the site. Muslim figures have long framed the temporary presence of Jews on the site as inherently provocative.

“We expect some kind of attack that will be justified as ‘protecting Al-Aqsa,’” Tzemach said.

“There’s no doubt that this Ramadan will be very tense, and we’re experiencing an increase in terror and incitement, so the security situation is strained,” he added.

“God willing, we’ll get through this time peacefully.”

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