Israel briefly detains prominent Palestinian leader Raed Salah

Israeli police raided the home and office of prominent Palestinian religious and political leader Raed Salah in northern Israel on Tuesday, detaining him for questioning for several hours. Salah's lawyer, Khaled Zabarqa, told Anadolu Agency that "police raided Salah's home and took him to the police station for interrogation."

Lawyer Zabarqa also revealed that Israeli security forces raided the headquarters of the "Spreading Peace Committee," led by Salah, and confiscated some items. This committee aims to help Palestinian citizens in Israel combat violence and promote social peace. The day before Salah's arrest, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered the confiscation of the committee's property, citing suspicions of its links to the Islamic Movement.

It is understood that the northern branch of the Islamic Movement, which Salah used to lead, has been banned by Israel since 2015. Zabarqa stated, "We are trying to understand the reasons behind this Israeli operation." He also emphasized, "The Spreading Peace Committee is almost the only organization in the Arab community that is actively working to combat crime and violence." According to Al Jazeera, several other members of his committee were also summoned by Israeli police following Salah's arrest.

Salah is known for his firm defense of Palestinian rights, including his stance on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem. He was released from Israel's Megiddo Prison in December 2021 after serving a 17-month sentence for incitement, during which he was held in solitary confinement throughout his term. He also served nine months in 2017 on similar charges, and told Middle East Eye in August 2020 that in addition to six prison terms, he had been arrested countless times and subjected to interrogations lasting for days.

Israel had also placed him under house arrest for three years, during which conditions were very harsh, including no visitors allowed. "I go to prison with complete satisfaction, joy, and assurance; I adhere to my values and do not regret anything. I know that as soon as I enter prison, they will start working on building a new case against me and launching a new round of investigations," Salah told Middle East Eye shortly before his seventh imprisonment.