The head of the Islamic Movement in Israel arrived in Cairo Tuesday morning to meet with Egyptian officials and members of Parliament.
Sheikh Ibrahim Sarsour, who is traveling with a 10-member delegation of the United Arab List an Israeli Arab political party he is part of, is expected to discuss the latest developments in the Palestinian issue and the Gaza siege, in addition to issue of Arab prisoners in Israel.
The Islamic Movement in Israel is a political-religious organization founded by Sheikh Abdullah Nimr Darwish in 1971. It includes a number of Israeli Arabs, who became citizens of the state when it was established following the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
The movement is not directly related to the Muslim Brotherhood, but its principles are similar to those of the prominent Egyptian organization.
Despite the Israeli judiciary’s imprisonment of some of its members on charges of plotting against the Jewish state, its leaders consistently insist that they “work according to Israeli laws.”
Sarsour recently denounced a statement made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accusing Palestinian factions of being behind the recent murder of four Jewish schoolchildren in Toulouse, France.
Sarsour demanded that Netanyahu apologize after French security authorities revealed the details of the crime and its perpetrator, who was not linked to any Palestinian groups.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
