Israel Outlaws Islamic Group Aiming for Caliphate

JERUSALEM, Israel – Israel outlawed a radical Islamic organization it says is aiming to replace the Jewish state with an Islamic caliphate.  Israel’s Security Cabinet declared the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel an illegal organization.

“The goal is to stop the dangerous incitement at home and prevent harm to innocent life,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

The Security Cabinet’s lengthy statement detailed the decision’s rationale and implications.

“The declaration means that any entity or person belonging to this organization henceforth, as well as any person who gives it service, or who acts on its behalf, will be committing a criminal offense and is subject to imprisonment. It will also be possible to seize all property belonging to the organization,” the statement read.

“For years, the northern branch of the Islamic Movement has led a mendacious campaign of incitement under the heading 'Al Aqsa is in danger' that falsely accuses Israel of intending to harm the al Aqsa Mosque and violate the status quo,” it stated.

The northern branch of the Islamic Movement established a network of paid male (Mourabitoun) and female (Mourabitat) activists whose primary function was to “initiate provocations on the Temple Mount.”

These activists earned their pay by significantly increasing tension on the contested site, inciting riots that required mob control measures by Israeli security forces to protect non-Muslim visitors to the site.

“The northern branch, headed by Sheikh Raad Salah, is a sister movement of the Hamas terrorist organization. The two movements maintain a close and secretive cooperation,” the statement continued.

“The northern branch of the Islamic Movement is a separatist-racist organization that does not recognize the institutions of the State of Israel, denies its right to exist and calls for the establishment of an Islamic caliphate in its place. The northern branch of the Islamic Movement belongs to radical Islam and is part of the global 'Muslim Brotherhood' movement. The two movements share an extremist ideology and a common goal – the destruction of the State of Israel,” it read.

“The Security Cabinet decision is directed against elements that drive and support incitement and racist activity, undermine regional stability and cause harm to innocent life. This move is not directed against the Arab and Muslim public in Israel, the great majority of which upholds the laws of the state and disavows incitement and terrorism,” the statement concluded.

Click here for additional background information on the Islamic Movement and its leaders.