West Bank violence grows as Israel shuts down, bans 17 affiliates of Islamic group

Islamic Extremism

The West Bank saw another series of deadly violence between Israelis and Palestinians. One Israeli woman was stabbed to dead, with the attacker shot and killed by authorities. This comes after Israel’s security cabinet has shut down and banned 17 affiliates of an Islamic organization.

CCTV’s Stephanie Freid reports from Umm Fahem, Israel.

The Israeli security cabinet decision to shut down and ban affiliates of the organization Islamic Movement is drawing criticism from observers who say there’s no justification for the ban other than the Israeli Prime Minister’s attempt at achieving political gains.

The police came at night, searched and seized property, and delivered a message: Israel’s government outlaws this branch of the Islamic Movement. Funds were seized, bank accounts were frozen.

“The Northern branch of the Islamic movement in Israel is working to betray the country by inciting violence against innocent citizens, maintaining close ties with Hamas and attempting to form an Islamic replacement state in its place,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

In response, former Movement members accused Israel’s prime minister of exploiting the current global wave of Islama-phobia to shut the organization down.

“The Israeli government claims that the Islamic movement had illegal connections but in fact if that was true it would have delivered indictments against the institution,” Tawfik Mohammed, a former member of the Northern Israel Islamic Movement said.

No indictments were issued, but movement leader Sheikh Raed Salah will soon begin an 11-month jail term for a 2007 incitement incident. In response to the shut-down, a general strike was called throughout Israel’s Arab sector.

The strike was largely heeded and there’s a call for protests in the coming week and weeks ahead. However, not all of the people living in the Arab sectors here in the north support the Islamic movement. There are murmurs within Israel’s Arab sector that the Muslim Brotherhood offshoot is too extreme, too punitive and not representative of Israel’s 17.5 percent Arab population.

“They are structured against democracy. During Ramadan we had a cafe operating here. Two hundred of them came and attacked us for being open during Ramadan. Who are you The law the police the government,” said one Umm El Fahem resident who did not give a name

But that doesn’t mean they agree with the Israeli government move.

Lawyers for the organization member involvement in any legal activity.