Ra'am chair Mansour Abbas said his party will separate from the Shura Council and the Muslim Brotherhood, following US moves against the Islamist organization.
Ra'am (United Arab List) chair MK Mansour Abbas announced that his party would separate from the Shura Council and Muslim Brotherhood during a Saturday interview with Channel 12's Meet the Press.
The United Arab List would establish independent institutions to fill any gaps left by the proposed split.
This follows US President Donald Trump's outlawing of the Muslim Brotherhood, designating it as a terror organization. This move received praise from Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said that the Islamist group threatens stability across the Middle East.
"The State of Israel has already outlawed part of the organization, and we are working to complete this action soon," Netanyahu added.
The Islamic Movement in Israel quickly distanced itself from any connection to the Muslim Brotherhood in the US or elsewhere following Trump’s statement.
"We have confirmed repeatedly, unequivocally and without ambiguity, that we do not belong to the Muslim Brotherhood movement, neither organizationally nor politically, and we have no connection or affiliation to it, neither organically nor institutionally," Safwat Freij, head of the Islamic Movement in Israel and chairman of the Shura Council, said.
"We are not responsible for the positions of others, and others are not responsible for our positions. Our independence is not a claim, but rather the organizational, practical and intellectual reality, determined by the movement’s founder and its leaders after him," Freij added.
"This is a purely cosmetic move. The move is intended to ‘silence’ politicians from the right-wing camp," Michael Barak, senior researcher at Reichman University's Institute for Counter-Terrorism told Walla.
"It points to the fear in the Islamic Movement in Israel of enforcement measures and sanctions against its members, due to the moves of Trump against the Muslim Brotherhood," Barak added.
"In 2017, Hamas announced its disassociation from the Muslim Brotherhood movement due to fear of Trump and [Egyptian President] Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s policy toward them, but in practice identifies with the ideology of the Brotherhood and is linked to its members."
History of the Islamic Movement in Israel
The Islamic Movement in Israel was founded in the 1970s by Abdullah Nimar Darwish and was based on the writings of the Muslim Brotherhood.
In the 1990s, it split into two factions: The southern faction, which in recent years entered Israeli politics through the United Arab List under the leadership of Abbas and adopted a pragmatic line of integration, and the northern faction, led by Raed Salah and his deputy Kamal Khatib, which was outlawed in 2015 due to allegations of incitement and ties to hostile actors.
In 2015, a cabinet decision and a decision by the Ministerial Committee for Security outlawed the northern faction of the Islamic Movement in Israel, headed by Raed Salah, leaving only the southern faction, which is considered to be more moderate.
Following that decision, Salah, Khatib, and Salman Abu Ahmed, responsible for the Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque portfolio, were summoned for questioning.
Since then, any person or body belonging to the organization, providing it with services, or operating within its framework commits a criminal offense and is liable to imprisonment. Property belonging to the organization can also be confiscated.
Meanwhile, Hamas was defined in the 1980s as the official Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. Over the years, ideological and personal ties developed between activists in the Islamic Movement in Israel and figures linked to the Muslim Brotherhood worldwide.
Researchers say there is no proven direct command link between US bodies and the Islamic Movement in Israel, but there is a clear overlap in ideology, religious language, and social and political worldviews.
Does Abbas plan to retire from politics?
In March, Abbas announced that he plans to retire after the next election campaign.
"I have one more opportunity. I will probably run in the next elections and try to achieve the goals I’ve set for myself," Abbas said at the time. "I don’t think I need to continue being a Knesset member after that."
He added that "it’s better to be on a mission, to come and try to do things, and then give others a chance," in reference to leading his party in the Knesset.
Yuval Levy contributed to this report.
07/01/2025 by THE JERUSALEM POST
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario