Israeli court sentences local Islamic leader to jail

Jan 13, 2010, 14:52 GMT

Jerusalem - A Jerusalem magistrate court Wednesday sentenced the fiery leader of an anti-Israeli Islamic group to nine months in prison after finding him guilty of assaulting a police officer with the intention of preventing him from doing his job.

Sheikh Raed Slaah, leader of the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement, was also given six months probation, on the condition that he does not repeat the offence. He was ordered to pay 7,500 Israeli shekels (2,040 dollars) compensation to the officer he assaulted, Israeli media reported.

The assault took place in February 2007, when Saleh and other demonstrators attempted to forcibly disrupt the construction of a walkway leading to the flashpoint Temple Mount /Noble Sanctuary compound in Jerusalem's Old City.

The compound is holy to both Islam and Judaism and the walkway project sparked worldwide Muslim fury and led to running protests in the holy city, amid charges that Israel was seeking to undermine the mosques in the compound. Israel said the walkway was not located near the mosques.

Salah was charged with spitting at a police officer and yelling that 'you are racist murderers with no sense of honour.'

He has 45 days in which to appeal his sentence.