Israel renews travel ban imposed on Sheikh Raed Salah

Israel’s Ministry of the Interior renewed the travel ban imposed on Palestinian citizen of Israel Sheikh Raed Salah under claims that he is a “danger to the state’s security,” Arab48 reported yesterday.

On 1 September 2022, Israel imposed a travel ban on Sheikh Salah, head of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel.

Acting Israeli Minister of the Interior Michael Malchieli signed the renewed travel ban which came into effect yesterday and lasts one month to 13 March.

Malchieli said that he looked at intelligence information about Sheikh Salah and found he was leading activities to establish alternative bodies for the Islamic Movement which was banned and declared a “terrorist” organisation by Israeli occupation authorities in 2015.

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The acting minister claimed that if Salah travelled abroad he would be able to cooperate with other “terrorist” organisations and “pose serious danger to the state’s security.”

The decision can be appealed and may be renewed for up to six months, Arab48 reported.

Sheikh Salah considered the decision an “incitement against him” as head of the Spreading Peace Committee – an offshoot of the High Follow-Up Committee for the Arab Community. The committee works to fight violence in the Arab community in Israel.

He accused the Israeli government of undermining the efforts of his committee in order to keep violence among the Arabs rising.