Will the incitement ever stop?
Sheikhs set up Muslim guard units for holy sites
By Roni Singer, Amos Harel and Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondents, and Haaretz Service
Attacks on mosques could lead to an Israeli Arab revolt, the Islamic Movement's northern branch leader, Sheikh Raed Salah, said on Friday during a rally at the Hassan Bek Mosque in southern Tel Aviv, one week after a pig's head was thrown into the mosque.
Speaking at a press conference following the rally, the sheikh also announced that the Islamic Movement will set up guard units to secure Muslim holy sites in Jaffa, Ramleh and Lod.
Earlier, a prayer service was held at the mosque, during which mosque officials screened a security video showing two Israelis throwing the pig's head into the mosque courtyard last week.
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Salah said the mosque would now be guarded 24 hours a day. He was speaking at a press conference that included Shawqi Khatib, chairman of the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee, and the spokesman of the Islamic Movement in Jaffa, Ahmed Abu Ajwa.
The sheikh also said that the Islamic Movement was drafting a document detailing violation of Israeli Arab rights by the state. The document, he said, will be handed to the United Nations and human rights organizations.
A large contingent of police officers was deployed near the mosque ahead of the prayer service.
Earlier Friday, the Shin Bet security service and the police announced that two right-wing activists from Tel Aviv had been arrested on suspicion of throwing the pig's head, inscribed with the words "The Prophet Mohammed," into the courtyard.
The suspects, a 34-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman, were arrested Thursday night and brought for a remand hearing Friday morning. The man's remand was extended by a week, and the woman was placed under house arrest for five days.
The man and woman, who are not affiliated with any right-wing groups, have confessed to throwing the pig's head in an effort to halt the disengagement. They told police they hate Arabs and wanted to cause riots that would slow down the implementation of the pullout or stop it entirely.
The suspects also said they were planning to throw another pig's head into a mosque Friday night, and police found the head in a refrigerator during a search of the suspects' homes.
Police are familiar with the suspects due to their alleged prostitution-related activities. Aharon Rosen, the attorney representing the suspects, said the woman is not linked to the incident, and said that she was detained only because she was with the male suspect at an escort service at the time of his arrest.
"He wanted to send a message to the world, without understanding the significance of his action," Rosen said of the suspect, who is set to undergo a psychiatric examination next week. "This is a sign of personal distress, distress that could also be linked to the disengagement plan." |
