[Israel, um el Fahm]: The "Afshaa Al-Salaam" committees were closed down due to being an arm of the Islamic Movement

Maariv ^ | 1.28.25

[Words Matter]

Promoting terrorism, in the heart of Israel: When the state lost patience with the absurd The "Afshaa Al-Salaam" committees were closed down due to being an arm of the Islamic Movement, on the recommendation of the Military Intelligence Service and after the presentation of well-founded and unambiguous intelligence information collected on their activities.

Alon Hachmon. 01/28/2025.

The police, Shin Bet and the Ministry of Defense announced that after prolonged activity by the Israel Police, Shin Bet and the Headquarters for Combating Economic Terrorism (MATL), the "Afsha'a Al-Salam" committees have been outlawed. This morning (Tuesday), as part of the combined national operation to enforce and strengthen security, the committees' offices in the city of Umm al-Fahm were closed. On January 19, 2025, Defense Minister Israel Katz signed an order that outlawed "Afsha al-Salam" (the Committees for the Spread of Peace) due to their being an arm of the northern faction of the Islamic Movement , on the recommendation of the Ministry of Defense and after presenting well-founded and unambiguous intelligence information collected on their activities by the Shin Bet, the Ministry of Defense (Ministry of Defense), the 433rd Battalion of the Israel Police, and the Ministry of Justice.

The Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement (hereinafter: TNAS) was declared an impermissible association in 2015 due to economic and ideological ties with Hamas and due to Tanas' activity in Jerusalem and on the Temple Mount.

The head of the TNAS at the time was Raed Salah, a resident of Umm al-Fahm. Salah built his public image over the years as a defender of Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem from Jewish takeover, while inciting and inflaming sentiments and using jihadist expressions, which translated into violence and disorder on the ground. The Afsha Al-Salam committees were established by Salah in 2017, with the stated goal of addressing the issue of violence in the Arab sector. The committees initially operated on a minor scale, and after Salah's release from prison in 2021, the committees moved to full-scale operation throughout the State of Israel.

Information gathered in recent years has shown that despite their stated goals, alongside the committees' alleged focus on dealing with violence, in practice this is a body that was established as a cover for the continuation of Tanas activity, in accordance with the Muslim Brotherhood's worldview and to spread Tanas's nationalist agenda against the State of Israel. This is actually a complete system based on the past infrastructure of the Tanassi, whose goal is to create an affinity between Arab society and TNASic ideology in order to preserve and strengthen Salah's status on the ground. As part of their activities, the activists in the "Afsha'a Al-Salaam" committees visited state educational institutions in Arab society, with the aim of spreading the teachings of the northern branch of the TNAS (which was outlawed) to students. The information received about the "Afsha Al-Salaam" committees clearly indicated that this was a faction of the northern Tanas, and accordingly, the Minister of Defense signed the counter-terrorism order declaring these committees a terrorist organization in accordance with the Counter-Terrorism Law. In a joint operation by the General Security Service, the Headquarters for Combating Economic Terrorism (MATL), the Ministry of Justice, and the Israel Police's Lahav 433 unit, the offices of "Afsha'a Al-Salam" in Umm Al-Fahm were closed, as stated. In addition, the "Mu'assat Al-Silam Al-Ajtma'i Al-Salah Wa'l-Tahkim" association, which finances the committees, was closed and its bank accounts were frozen. The activists who lead the organization were warned against continuing their activities in the "Afsha'a Al-Salaam" committees.