Sheikh Raid Salah, the leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement, held a protest sermon in Jaffa last Friday.
He chose the location in order to demonstrate against the municipality's use of bulldozers at the Taso Cemetery, which is under the control of the Arab Administration. Salah claims that the digging damages Islamic holy sites and the feelings of Muslims.
During his talk, Salah stated that "the 'inner' Palestinian public is subjected to Israeli terror and is the victim of racism... The blood that is spilled on the land is the result of incitement against the Arab public." "Inner" Palestinians refers to those under Israeli authority.
He then declared that he supports all steps taken by Jaffa's Islamic Council in order to protect Islamic holy sites as a "natural reaction" to the municipality's activities.
The Council has stated that it intends to create a security force to protect cemeteries, including Taso. The force would begin operating in February.