Sheikh Raed Salah, former head of the northern branch of Israel's Islamic Movement, was convicted Nov. 24 of inciting terrorism and support for illegal organizations by the Haifa Magistrates Court. Salah had received a suspended sentence on a prior conviction and is therefore now expected to serve jail time.
According to Salah’s bill of indictment, Salah delivered a speech during the funerals of three terrorists from his city (Umm al-Fahm) who, in July 2017, murdered two border policemen in Jerusalem. Salah said: “At these moments [we need to stand together] as one house, as one family. We take leave of our martyrs and express the wish that they join the prophets, the righteous ones and the martyrs. At these moments, may we pray that God increases their value in the heavens in paradise. In the Garden of Eden above, God himself will honor them by drinking water together with the Prophet Muhammad.’’
