Cleric who Corbyn called an ‘honoured citizen’ jailed for inciting terrorism

An Arab hate preacher hailed by Jeremy Corbyn as an “honoured citizen” of Israel has been jailed for incitement to terrorism.

Raed Salah was sentenced to 28 months over his November conviction for a speech made in 2017, praising a deadly attack at Temple Mount.

Haifa Magistrates Court granted him 11 months off the sentence for time served, totalling 17 months behind bars, with an 18 months suspended sentence, according to Times of Israel.

The arrest and charge took place in 2017, after he praised three Arab-Israelis who shot dead two police officers during a terror attack in Jerusalem. The court ruled his speech at the terrorists’ funeral contained “words of praise, admiration and support for terror attacks.”

The vehemently anti-Israel cleric, who was head of the outlawed Islamic Movement of northern Israel, has been jailed numerous times before, for funding Hamas before the group took power in Gaza, for assaulting a police officer, and for racist incitement in 2007.

Thirteen years ago he reportedly said in East Jerusalem: “We have never allowed ourselves to knead [the dough for] the bread that breaks the fast in the holy month of Ramadan with children’s blood.”

“Whoever wants a more thorough explanation, let him ask what used to happen to some children in Europe, whose blood was mixed in with the dough of the holy bread.”

After the speech, Palestinians began rioting and his comments were investigated. A year later he was charged by Jerusalem Magistrates Court, which convicted him of incitement to violence but acquitted him of racist incitement. A year later, Jerusalem District Court overturned that decision, and found him guilty of racist incitement too.

Salah was arrested in London in 2011, at the instigation of then Home Secretary Theresa May and the Community Security Trust (CST), a day before he was due to attend a high-profile House of Commons event with Jeremy Corbyn.