Raed Salah

Sheikh Raed Salah Abu Shakra (Arabic: رائد صلاح; Hebrew: ראאד סלאח; born 1958) is a Palestinian religious leader from Umm al-Fahm. He is the leader of the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel. Salah was elected mayor of his hometown Umm al-Falm—an Israeli-Arab city bordering the Green Line—three times. As a Palestinian with Israeli citizenship, he came to prominence for his defense of the holy sites and his participation on the MV Mavi Marmara, the Turkish boat that was stormed by Israeli navy as it attempted to break the siege of Gaza in May 2010. Salah is a popular figure in the Muslim world and among Palestinians for his staunch defense of al-Aqsa against what he sees as Israeli attempts to take it over. He has held sermons praising the "defenders of al-Aqsa" and his Northern Branch has organized free bus trips from Palestinian localities in Israel to Jerusalem in order to strengthen the bond between Muslims and the holy sites. Israel has accused Salah of inciting violence and supporting terrorism. Israel has arrested Salah numerous times and he has spent many years in Israeli prisons, but these arrests have increased his popularity. In 2021, Raed Salah was awarded Al-Murabit Prize by International Union of Muslim Scholars.