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The joint appearance of Salah and Freij raises the question: is the outlawed northern faction of the Islamic Movement, designated as a terrorist organization due to its ties with Hamas, now moving towards open cooperation with the southern faction?
The Islamic Movement in Israel — the Israeli branch of the Muslim Brotherhood — split about 30 years ago over whether to participate in Knesset elections. The southern faction went on to establish the Ra’am party, while the northern faction under Raed Salah was declared a terrorist organization a decade ago.
This video comes against after years of fierce debate over Ra’am’s decision to join the governing coalition in 2021 — a move in which Safwat Freij, the current chairman, played a central role.
Against this backdrop, Raed Salah clarified: “This is a legitimate disagreement within Islam.” He urged: “Do not use terms like traitor or infidel against members of the southern faction — and vice versa.”
He continued: “From the depths of my heart I appeal to all the sons of the ‘Islamic awakening’ (the movement/religious public) inside the country — in the Galilee, the Triangle, the Negev, and the coastal cities. I say to them, in my name and in the name of my brother Safwat: we expect you to preserve the sanctity of this brotherhood and the sanctity of its consequences, and to remain united in our prayers, united in our lives, in our conduct — even if there is some disagreement between us. And may Allah reward you with all good.”
Safwat Freij said: “The Islamic project is greater than any dispute. We emphasize: our disagreement is legitimate. We are members of one society… We call on everyone writing on social media to replace the language of hate with the language of love, the language of division with the language of brotherhood. Let us close this page (open a new one), and we do not want this to repeat itself again. Whoever wishes to criticize us — let him do so. Whoever wishes to advise us — welcome. But slander, accusations of betrayal, and accusations of heresy — no. May your strength be blessed.”
Freij himself posted the video on his Facebook page as a “meeting of brotherhood.” In the past, the southern faction often showed support for Raed Salah during arrests and similar events. But after Ra’am's unprecedented political move, this joint appearance is a noteworthy event that is likely to have further ramifications.
It is also interesting to note that for several years now, the northern faction has operated with a “good cop, bad cop” dynamic. Since his release from prison in 2021, Raed Salah has presented himself as a unifier within the Arab sector (also in an attempt to position himself as the supreme leader). At the same time, his deputy — Kamal Khatib — continues in his weekly sermons to fiercely attack all internal rivals.
Raed Salah, the head of the northern faction of the Islamic Movement, who continues his incitement activities even today, was convicted of incitement to violence and terrorism, served time in prison, and the northern faction he led was declared a terrorist organization.
After his release, Hakol Hayehudi exposed how he renewed his activity in the field by establishing “Committees for Spreading Peace.” Officially, these committees claimed to deal with conflict resolution and the problem of violence in the Arab sector. In reality, they functioned as a nationwide network of northern faction operatives engaged in the da’wa (proselytizing) activity of the movement.
Subsequently, police forces raided Salah’s home in Umm al‑Fahm and the offices of the “Peace Committees” in the city, declaring the committees themselves to be a terrorist organizations as well.
