Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked (Zionist Spirit) ordered the entry of Sheikh Trad Al Faiz into Israel to be banned following the subversive incitement campaign he conducted in the Negev.
"The sheikh's entry visa was given by the National Security Agency. Following violation of the visa conditions and his serious incitement against the state, I banned his entry into Israel," the minister wrote on her Twitter account.
The Hakol Hayehudi (Jewish Voice) website disclosed that a subversive political campaign by a senior Jordanian official in Israel went under the media radar. It included support for terrorist attacks and extremist material that was also presented at the home of Bedouin Sheikh Gideon Abu Savit. Abu Savit is considered pro-Israeli. He previously spoke alongside Prime Minister Netanyahu, declaring that he was voting for Likud.
The official was revealed to be Sheikh Trad Al Faiz, who served as the Jordanian Minister of Agriculture (2002-2003) and had held various positions, such as Jordanian ambassador to Arab countries. Al Faiz was defined as the "sheikh of the sheikhs," one who judges in tribal disputes.
The background to the visit was a bloody conflict between the Jabari clan and the Avivi clan in Hebron, a large city in Judea that is divided into a Jewish section (under Israeli control) and the larger Arab section (under the auspices of the Palestinian Authority). The conflict included several murders, non-stop gun battles, and the burning of shops and houses.
Al Faiz and his delegation of dignitaries arrived in Israel a little over a month ago and visited the country for about three weeks.
The major purpose of the visit, however, was not the dispute between the two Hebron families, but for incitement against Israel. This was divulged by a member of the Jordanian parliament, Yanel Frihat, a staunch supporter of terrorism against Israel, who recently called on Jordan to renew ties with Hamas.
Sheikh Abu Savit, for his part, told Hakol Hayehudi that he strongly opposes what the Jordanian sheikh said in his home. He claimed that he did not prevent the speech because his culture demands that he treat his guests with respect.
"I was terribly angry at the things he said, but I couldn’t object because he was in my house. I behaved exactly the same way my father and grandfather behaved, that is, to show respect to a guest, so I gave him respect and he left. He didn't tell us he was going to talk like that. I am an Israeli who grew up in the State of Israel. I'm Israeli in every way. I'm interested in the State of Israel because if it's good for Israel, then it's good for me," said Abu Savit.
Abu Savit claims that after the speech given by the Jordanian sheikh at his home, he refused to attend the rest of the receptions held in his honor in the Negev. "I didn't go because I don't like his policy. After he was at my place and I heard what he said, I didn't join him."