Sheikh Raed Salah
Sheikh Raed SalahAvi Dishi/Flash 90

Sheikh Raed Salah, the leader of the northern faction of the Islamic Movement and a senior member of the High Follow‑Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel, said on Monday that the Israeli Arabs are not afraid of Otzma Yehudit MK Itamar Ben Gvir.

In an interview with the Israeli Arab news site Kul al-Arab, Salah said that the Joint List Party was the first to break the fundamental principles of the Israeli Arabs by recommending Lapid and Gantz for the role of Prime Minister during post-elections consultations with the President, and this paved the way for Mansour Abbas to join the coalition.

Salah emphasized in this regard that the line adopted by Mansour Abbas is in complete contradiction to the fundamental principles, adding that he supports the boycott of the elections and the alternative is to make the High Follow‑Up Committee strong and effective.

Salah also said, using a tone of criticism against the Arab parties, that Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman was portrayed as a moderate. "May Allah forgive the one who gave him the certificate of good conduct."

Ben Gvir was described by Salah as the product of "the habitat of Sharon, Kahana, Rafael Eitan, Rabin and all the racists". Salah noted that some described the very existence of Ben Gvir as a disaster, but "we are not afraid of people like him".

On the crisis of crime and violence in Arab society, Salah said that if a state of emergency is not declared in Arab society and the crime is not dealt with, he intends to demand international protection for the Arab public in Israel.

The Israeli government outlawed the northern branch of the Islamic Movement, which Salah heads, in November of 2015.

Salah himself was jailed for incitement to terrorism and served a 16-month prison sentence.

Salah been arrested by Israel several times in the past on charges of incitement. The radical cleric served a nine-month jail sentence after being convicted of encouraging violent attacks and inciting racism in a 2007 sermon.

He has in the past labeled Israeli leaders “terrorists” and “enemies of Allah” in a speech to Muslims in Be’er Sheva, and was also jailed for five months in 2010 for spitting at an Israeli police officer.