Don't Ban the Islamic Movement

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is seeking to outlaw the northern faction of the Islamic Movement, explains this by comparing it to the Kach movement, which was designated a terror group in 1994. “There was no problem outlawing Kach, so there ought to be no problem doing this in the case of the Islamic Movement,” he reportedly said at Sunday’s cabinet meeting.

The Kach movement, which was disqualified from running for Knesset because it preached racism, also operated as a terror group, whose members included Tomb of the Patriarchs murderer Baruch Goldstein, which is why it was designated as such in Israel and other countries. The northern faction of the Islamic Movement does not recognize the State of Israel. Its officials, particularly its leader Sheikh Ra’ad Salah, make slanderous remarks against the state, incite against its policies and support violent resistance by Palestinian groups. But parallel opinions against Arabs can be heard from extremist Jewish activists, rabbis and even MKs. While the sections of the law against incitement are rarely, if ever, invoked against Jewish racists, the long arm of law enforcement seems to reach Arabs more easily. The comparison to Kach not only distorts the facts, but broadens the definition of terror to an extent that puts the principles of democracy at risk. This at a time when those groups of Jewish terrorists that conduct “price tag” attacks are still designated as merely “unauthorized associations.”

Especially aggravating is the argument by Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, who said, “They’ve been banned in all the countries in the region,” apparently referring to the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been designated a terror movement in Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Indeed, the minister found a worthy role model in these countries, where democracy, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly are not quite guiding principles. In those countries speaking up against government leaders is considered a violation of the law. It isn’t clear, therefore, why the minister made do with their outlawing of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The northern faction of the Islamic Movement is not a political party and does not participate in Israeli politics. It is a religious ideological movement, most of whose principles are repulsive to many Israeli citizens, Jews and Arabs alike. But this disgust cannot be grounds for making it illegal. The government, which has already done enough to deepen the rift between Jews and Arabs, must allow the movement to continue operating legally.