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Northern Israel imam arrested for allegedly supporting Hamas
Israel Police officers in Zichron Ya’acov apprehended a 60-year-old imam from Fureidis on Friday on charges of inciting terrorism and supporting Hamas. A search of his residence led to the seizure of Hamas flags as well as a map of “Palestine.”
The imam is a close relative of the local council’s head and is affiliated with the Southern Branch of the Islamic movement, which shares ties with the Ra’am Party and its chairman, Mansour Abbas.
The arrest of the imam has sent shockwaves throughout the town. The arrest came in the wake of a Friday sermon he delivered at a local mosque. Prior to the arrest, the Zichron Ya’acov local council attempted to ease concerns among residents after reports circulated on WhatsApp groups suggesting incitement occurred during the mosque gathering.
However, the council later distanced itself from taking responsibility for the reassuring messages, claiming they merely echoed a statement conveyed by the commander of the Zichron Ya’acov police station and another senior official. These statements indicated that the police, along with other agencies, have monitored all of the imam’s sermons since the war with Hamas in Gaza began and have not found any evidence of incitement or sedition. Nevertheless, the police arrested the imam anyway.The imam’s lawyer told Walla!: “He did not incite or express support. He simply conveyed factual information as presented in the news. He does not endorse Hamas and condemns the events of October 7. I am confident that the truth will prevail, and he will be released soon.”
An Israeli Arab barista arrested for social media posts, freed in deal with Hamas
Furthermore, it was revealed yesterday that Rana Sawilat, a 27-year-old from Abu Snan in the Western Galilee, was among those released in the seventh round of the prisoner exchange for the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza on Wednesday. However, she was later arrested again and now faces charges of inciting terrorism and expressing solidarity with Hamas.
Sawilat was previously employed at an Aroma branch in Nahariya until the branch manager became aware of an Instagram post she published on October 7. She was fired after a termination hearing.
She was recently arrested by Nahariya police officers and subsequently interrogated by a police fraud unit before being held in prison with Palestinian security prisoners.
Despite the alleged danger posed by Sawilat, as claimed by the state, she was unexpectedly released in the evening as part of the prisoner exchange deal for hostages in Gaza – which was a surprise even to her. According to her attorney, neither she nor her family were consulted prior to this arrangement.
According to the indictment, the post in question contained the sentence, “This day and this date will be remembered as the most glorious ever to happen to Palestine and the entire nation,” accompanied by the text, “Today we will invade them, and they will not invade us,” along with a hand symbolizing the “V” movement for victory and a flame emoji. The indictment was filed with the approval of Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara.
Sawilat has since deleted the post and expressed her apology. While she did not deny making the post, she claimed it was not intended as incitement but rather as a prayer for the residents of Gaza. In court, her lawyer said, “Who takes one post she published seriously? This is a case that does not warrant an arrest.”