Islamic Movement official warned over group's mosque remarks

The deputy chief of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement was summoned Monday for questioning by the Shin Bet security service over statements made by group leaders immediately following Sunday's release of the head of the movement's northern branch, Sheikh Raeed Salah.

"[The Shin Bet] wants to pressure the movement because of our declarations on the matter of the Al-Aqsa mosque," Sheikh Kamal Hatib said after undergoing the interrogation.

Hatib said the Shin Bet warned him that if the movement does not change its stance, "it will expose the movement and its institutions to extremely harsher treatment from the Israeli security establishment."

The northern branch has repeatedly argued that the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is under threat, both from far-right groups such as "Revava" and "Temple Mount Faithful" as well as from the Israeli establishment.

"Tzachi Hanegbi, the Public Security Minister, is part of the threat against the mosque," Salah said upon his release from prison.

During the questioning last week of Dr. Suleiman Agbaria, a senior official in the movement, Shin Bet agents warned against the movement's current line of protest.

"These interrogations only strengthen our determination to carry out our duties towards Al-Aqsa mosque," Hatib said. "We are not sorry for it, we do not intend to retract our statements, and we will continue until the end."

A mass reception is to be held for Salah Monday evening in the Umm al-Fahm soccer stadium. The city, which began preparations for his return a few days ago, was festooned with pictures of the Islamic leader, who is known locally as "Sheikh al-Aqsa." The first floor of his house had been floored with marble by volunteers from the town, and the parking area was hung with brightly colored ribbons.

Salah said on his release from prison Sunday that he would not be deterred from violating the terms of his parole, which bars him from coming to Jerusalem during the next four months without special police permission.

Salah was released after serving two-thirds of his sentence, after a conviction stemming from his organization's receipt of money from outlawed organizations.

"If I find an urgent and essential religious reason to visit Al-Aqsa, I will go even tomorrow without asking anyone's permission," Raeed said. "This is not a hasty stand. I have been thinking about it for two years," he added.

At a press conference Salah called a few hours after his release, one day earlier than planned, he said he had been informed of his impending release that dawn after morning prayers. He said the Prisons Service officers who accompanied him home refused to allow him to call ahead to prepare his aged mother for his arrival until he was near his home city of Umm al-Fahm. "I was told they were afraid it would be announced on loud speakers. We are not wild animals, we don't eat anyone," he said. "I learned a great many things during my prison term, and that is one of them."

"My father was arrested because he defended the Al-Aqsa Mosque," Salah's youngest daughter, Rikhana, said.

"We received threats from the Shin Bet to stop saying Al-Aqsa is in danger," Salah told reporters. "But we will not be deterred; we will continue to tell the truth. On the day the occupation of Al-Aqsa is lifted, we will say it is safe."

Salah said he had no regrets or apologies for the crimes of which he was convicted by his own confession. "The Shin Bet misled and is misleading you," he said, addressing the Israeli public. He also warned the Jewish public that the Shin Bet can expand to the Jewish sector, mentioning the case of Jewish-Israeli leftist Tali Fahima. "You have fallen victim to demagoguery built on illusions. We have been exploited in this matter and Jewish society has kept quiet," he said.

Salah devoted a large part of his press conference to the subject of his movement's participation in Knesset elections. While the southern branch of the Islamic Movement is represented in the Knesset, by MK Abdulmalik Dehamshe (United Arab List), the northern branch has so far avoided running for the Knesset, and Salah told reporters there would be no change in this policy and that he does not intend to run for the Knesset.