Islamic Movement

Sheikh Raed Salah, leader of the Northern Branch of the islamic Movement, and Mohammad Barakeh, chairman of High Follow Up Committee, arrive for a visit at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, April 19, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

First Israel silenced Palestinian citizens. Now it turns to their leaders

Recent cases involving prominent Arab officials reveal the state's strategy: digging up old statements and seeking severe punishment in Israeli courts.

By Baker Zoubi July 6, 2026

What is certain is that social norms in the Arab community are constantly changing, mainly thanks to the tens of thousands of Arab women who do not give up on themselves. (Nati Shohat / Flash90)

The quiet feminist revolution in Arab society in Israel

Despite the hardships, Arab women are making gains in the Israeli legal establishment, local politics, academia, and even in the Islamic Movement. I watched as Hollywood stars collectively came out of the feminist closet during the Academy Awards this week. They spoke with pride about the recent #MeToo campaign, and demanded more respect and more…

By Samah Salaime March 8, 2018

https://mekomit.co.il/%d7%94%d7%9e%d7%a2%d7%a6%d7%a8-%d7%a9%d7%9c-%d7%a8%d7%90%d7%99%d7%93-%d7%a1%d7%9c%d7%90%d7%97-%d7%94%d7%95%d7%90-%d7%9e%d7%a2%d7%a6%d7%a8-%d7%a4%d7%95%d7%9c%d7%99%d7%98%d7%99/

Why Jewish Israelis should stand with the head of Israel’s Islamic Movement

I’m no supporter of Sheikh Raed Salah, but as Jewish Israelis we have an enormous responsibility to state loudly and clearly that which our privilege still permits us. That means opposing political persecution when we see it. Two years ago Israel outlawed one of the largest popular associations in the country, the Northern Branch of…

By Orly Noy August 15, 2017

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Palestinians participate in the March of Return, Galilee, May 2, 2017. (Maria Zreik/Activestills)

‘Israel has never recognized its Palestinian citizens’

Thousands of Palestinians participated in the March of Return on Tuesday, gathering at the site of the destroyed village of Al-Kabri in the Galilee. Below is a translated transcript of the speech given by Anat Matar, a member of the Israeli Committee for Palestinian Prisoners, at the event. By Anat Matar I am profoundly grateful…

By +972 Magazine May 3, 2017

Israeli policemen stand guard as bulldozers demolish houses in the unrecognized Bedouin village of Umm el-Hiran, in the Negev desert, January 18, 2017. (Faiz Abu Rmeleh/Activestills.org)

By siding with the police, the media incites against Arab citizens

The majority of Israeli journalists simply copied the official police version of the deadly events in Umm el-Hiran last week, effectively painting 20 percent of Israeli citizens as terrorists. Kudos to the state: the Israeli media is now taking an active part in the government’s incitement. Last week we were lucky enough to read news reports…

By Samah Salaime January 22, 2017

Joint List MK Basel Ghattas seen at the weekly Joint List meeting at the Knesset, Jerusalem, February 8, 2016. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Bid to expel Arab Knesset member an ominous sign of what’s to come

After a year in which the government incited against Arab society and the media pandered to the Right’s agenda, the attempt to expel Joint List MK Basel Ghattas points to a worrying future. By Abed Abu Shehada When the Knesset passed the so-called “expulsion law” last summer, widely seen as targeting Arab lawmakers, many believed…

By Haokets December 22, 2016

Palestinian citizens take part in a general strike in solidarity with Palestinians in Jerusalem, West Bank and Gaza, in the northern town of Sakhnin, on October 13, 2015. (photo: Omar Sameer)

Palestinian citizens must decide what kind of future they want

Despite the racism and violence, Palestinian citizens must not despair. Instead they should nonviolently challenge the majority as part of a discussion on rights, democratic values, and opposition to the occupation. By Marzuq Al-Halabi Although there exists a multitude of Palestinian political parties and movements in Israel, there are three main currents among them that cross boundaries,…

By +972 Magazine October 27, 2016

Joint Arab List members Jamal Zahalka (L), Haneen Zoabi (R) and Basel Ghattas at the weekly Joint List meeting in the Knesset, February 8, 2016. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

How Israel is turning one Arab party into a security threat

Balad isn’t the first political party in Israel to be suspected of violating campaign finance laws. But it is the first one to have its members arrested in overnight, commando-style raids. There are two possible ways to describe the dramatic, highly-publicized arrest of dozens of activists and senior members of the Balad party earlier this…

By Orly Noy September 20, 2016

Israeli soldiers confiscate equipment from the A-Sanabel radio station, Dura, West Bank, August 31, 2016. (IDF Spokesperson)

IDF shuts down Palestinian radio station — but won’t explain why

The Israeli army shuts down the West Bank-based ‘A-Sanabel,’ claiming it incites against Israelis without so much as providing any evidence. Such is life under a military regime. The Israeli army shut down Palestinian radio station A-Sanabel in the early hours of Wednesday morning, arresting five of employees and confiscating equipment. According to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit,…

By Haggai Matar September 1, 2016

Arab women demonstrate outside Al-Aqsa compound. (photo: Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)

Meet the outlawed women of Israel’s Islamic Movement

They are journalists, educators, and physicians, who until very recently were dependent on the recently-outlawed Islamic Movement for their living. Now they leave behind a void that cannot be filled. An inside look at the women who play a critical role in Israel’s Palestinian society. By Samah Salaime (translated from Hebrew by Tal Haran) The…

By Samah Salaime January 16, 2016

A firefighter stands in front of the charred door of B’Tselem’s offices in Jerusalem. (Photo: Fire Department Spokesperson)

When every fire is a potential arson attack

As incitement against the Israeli Left grows, it is no surprise so many people believed right-wing arsonists were behind the fire at the offices of Israel’s oldest human rights organization. Preliminary investigations by Israeli Police and Israel Fire and Rescue Services indicated that the fire that erupted Sunday night in the Jerusalem offices of Israeli…

By Haggai Matar January 11, 2016

Joint List chairman Ayman Odeh walk into a polling station in Haifa, March 17, 2015. (Photo: Akrm Drawshi/Activestills.org)

Mr. Odeh Goes to Washington (and not everyone’s happy about it)

Joint List head Ayman Odeh headed to the United States this week, prompting mixed reactions from Israel’s Palestinian citizens. Odeh: ‘I am here to tear the mask off of Netanyahu’s lies.’ Perhaps I am foolish and do not understand the ambush of the Palestinian people that awaits Joint List head Ayman Odeh when he visits…

By Samah Salaime December 4, 2015

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) visits the West Bank with Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon (L) and IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizencot (center-right), October 6, 2015. (GPO/Amos Ben-Gershon)

What does it say when the IDF is the sanest voice in Israel?

When members of the opposition are trying to outflank Netanyahu on the right, even the IDF seems like a saner alternative to Israeli politicians. By Yoni Mendel “A nation in uniform,” “an army that has a state,” “a democracy of army bases.” In academic research of the critical kind, Israel is understood as a militaristic…

By +972 Magazine December 4, 2015