Detectives from the Israel Police's elite Lahav 433 Major Crimes Unit arrested Sheik Yusuf Elbaz, imam of the local Great Mosque in Lod, early Thursday morning, on suspicion of incitement to violence.
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Two days ago Elbaz wrote on Facebook: "The best way to contend with injustice…" with a link to a video depicting the violent murder of police officers.
Elbaz was questioned at Lahav 443 headquarters in Lod on suspicion of incitement to violence, terror and threats and he was expected to be brought before a judge later Thursday with a request to extend his remand in custody.
Following Elbaz's arrest, the right-wing watchdog group Im Tirtzu said in a statement: "Better late than never. It's about time law enforcement agencies put the inciting sheikh behind bars. [Elbaz] repeatedly encouraged attacks on Israelis during Operation Guardian of the Walls [and he] needs to pay the price for his actions as stipulated by the law."
Far-right MK Itamar Ben-Gvir praised the authorities for arresting Elbaz but said more had to be done to get the situation under control.
"It was a good first step. Now, he needs to be put behind bars to make sure he doesn't continue spreading antisemitic hatred," said Ben-Gvir.
Elbaz, a self-proclaimed proponent of the outlawed Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, has been arrested before on charges of incitement to violence.
In late May, a complaint was filed with the police against Elbaz. That complaint cited several of Elbaz's social media posts in which he vowed to bring death upon the "Zionist occupation" and called Israel "an enemy state."
In one post, he wrote, "I am a blessed son and a faithful son of the Islamic movement. The sheikh of the movement [Sheikh Kamal Khatib] is my leader." Elbaz at the time declined to comment.
The right-wing Regavim Movement issued a statement saying it "applauds" the fact that law enforcement proceedings began against Albaz, adding it "demands that he be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
"The horrific violence to which the Jewish residents of Lod were subjected was fueled by the poisonous, antisemitic hate speech spewed by Imam Albaz, a member of the outlawed Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement. Albaz's incitement resulted in spilled blood – the lynching murder of Yigal Yehoshua, dozens of wounded citizens and massive damage to private and public property. The time has come to make Albaz pay the price for his incitement. Better late than never.
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