Saturday 24 July 2010

Israeli court endorses jail term against Salah

[ 24/07/2010 - 02:26 PM ]

UM AL-FAHAM, (PIC)-- The Israeli supreme court has rejected Friday a petition of appeal filed by lawyers of Sheikh Raed Salah to cancel an earlier verdict issued by the Israeli central court sentencing Salah to five-month imprisonment term.

Salah was accused by the court of assaulting an Israeli soldier in clashes between Muslim worshippers defending the Aqsa Mosque and the fully-geared Israeli occupation soldiers who attempted to storm the Mosque in 2007.

The Islamic Movement in the 1948-occupied Palestinian land, which Salah heads, deprecated the decision, adding that the decision against their "Sheikh" won't stop them from defending the Mosque against any Israeli attempt to defile it.

"We don’t fear prisons, but if you (Israelis) think that by jailing Sheikh Salah you would prevent us from defending the Aqsa at all cost then you are dreaming", the Movement asserted in a statement it issued in reaction to the court's decision.

In the aftermath of the clashes in 2007, Salah and a number of his comrades in the Movement, including Dr. Suleiman Eghbareyya among others were rounded up by the Israeli police and put on swift trial before issuing a number of arbitrary verdicts against Salah, including banning him from entering the Aqsa Mosque, staying 150 meters away from the old town of Jerusalem, and banning him from meeting with more than six persons in public.

A couple of months ago, Salah was on board the Freedom Flotilla that was raided by the Israeli navy. The attack ended with killing nine Turkish activists and wounding scores others. The Israeli special units reportedly targeted Salah but the plan failed when the soldiers found out that they killed a Turkish activist who looked like Salah.

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