Arab MK visits Raed Salah in UK prison with legal team

Taleb a-Sanaa: Foreign Ministry would have helped if the Islamic Movement's northern branch leader was a Jew, "but he’s an Arab."

By LAHAV HARKOV
Sheikh Raed Salah 311 (photo credit: Ben Hartman)
Sheikh Raed Salah 311
(photo credit: Ben Hartman)
MK Taleb a-Sanaa (United Arab List-Ta’al) visited Raed Salah, leader of the Islamic Movement’s northern branch, in a British prison on Thursday, along with a legal team to help bring back the Umm al-Fahm resident to Israel.
“Salah is a leader of the Arab population, and his arrest was a clearly political act,” Sanaa told The Jerusalem Post.
RELATED:British MP Ann Clwyd likens Livni to Raed SalahIslamic Movement’s Salah set to fight deportation from UK
Salah was arrested last week after refusing to acquiesce to a British deportation order. He plans to appeal the order in court on Friday.
“I find it outrageous that the Foreign Ministry did not lift a finger to help Salah,” Sanaa added. “If he was a Jew, they would have done something – but he’s an Arab.”
“Not only was [the Foreign Ministry] silent, it seems that they were happy,” the MK claimed.
Sanaa, a lawyer, brought a team of attorneys to help Salah. “I am here to strengthen and encourage him,” Sanaa said. “I hope the court will free Salah.”
The MK said that Salah “did not commit any crime. This is a dangerous precedent,” he told the Post.
When asked about Jewish- Israeli leaders facing possible arrests due to UK universal jurisdiction laws, Sanaa said: “Those are soldiers and officers who committed war crimes, or officials who gave instructions.”
“Salah never gave any order to hurt civilians,” the lawmaker added.
In 2008, Salah was convicted of incitement to terrorism after giving an anti-Israel speech in which he claimed that Jewish people “eat bread dipped in children’s blood.”
Last year, he served five months in prison for assaulting and spitting on a police officer.
The Islamic Movement leader also sailed on the Mavi Marmara in May 2010 as part of the Gaza flotilla.


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