Netanyahu: We have banned part of the 'Muslim Brotherhood' and we will complete this step 'soon'

SadaNews - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel is working to complete the ban on what remains of the "Muslim Brotherhood" in the country, praising the American president, who intends to take a similar step by classifying the "Muslim Brotherhood" as a terrorist organization. In Netanyahu's statement, there was a reference to the Unified List, the political arm of the Southern Islamic Movement, which he may consider part of the "Muslim Brotherhood", after Israel had previously banned the Northern Islamic Movement. This statement came in a recorded speech made by Netanyahu on Sunday evening, following the announcement of the assassination of the military leader of the party, whom Israel describes as its "chief of staff", Haitham Ali Tabatabai, in an attack in the southern suburbs of Beirut. During the speech, Netanyahu said: "I would also like to commend the president (American, Donald) Trump for his decision to ban the 'Muslim Brotherhood' and classify it as a terrorist organization." He noted that it is "an organization that threatens stability throughout the Middle East and beyond." The Israeli Prime Minister added: "Therefore, the State of Israel has already banned part of it, and we are working to complete this step soon," without providing additional details about it. The Gathering: Netanyahu's statements are a serious escalation targeting Arab political action entirely. The National Democratic Assembly party issued a statement on Sunday evening, confirming that "Netanyahu's statements regarding 'completing the ban on part of the Muslim Brotherhood' represent a serious escalation in the context of the ongoing political persecution for years, which has targeted the Northern Islamic Movement, national parties, the Assembly, peace promotion committees, the High Follow-up Committee, students, workers, employees, doctors, lawyers, and relief associations affiliated with the Islamic Movement, as well as various active bodies, institutions, and individuals within the Palestinian community inside." The Assembly added that "the threat to complete the ban is but a new attempt to strike at Arab political action as a whole, criminalizing any political organization, party, or list, and creating a reality where the legitimacy of political activity is determined by the balance of the Israeli establishment and Netanyahu's electoral calculations." The Assembly emphasized that "facing this dangerous approach requires true national unity, and the re-establishment of the Joint List based on an agreed-upon political program to confront the enormous challenges we face, in addition to strengthening the struggle among our people and its political forces and active institutions, as this attack targets everyone without exception." The Front: No one is safe from Netanyahu's plans and his new security servants. The Democratic Front for Peace and Equality stated that "Netanyahu's dangerous statements about continuing to remove the Islamic Movement from legality, following the ban on the Islamic Movement led by Sheikh Raed Salah in 2015, confirm that no one is safe from the plans of the Prime Minister and his new servants in the security agencies." They said that "the optimal response is to rise above all disputes and enhance our struggling unity to confront and topple the fascist brutal government." They continued: "We will submit a request for an urgent meeting of the Follow-up Committee, to be informed by the brothers in the Unified List about the persecutions that have affected them so far, and to study the possible judicial, political, and popular steps to thwart this scheme." This comes as American President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he is preparing to designate the "Muslim Brotherhood" as a "foreign terrorist organization." Trump stated in remarks he made to "Gust the News" that this "will be done in the strongest and strongest terms," noting that "the final documents are now being prepared." Trump's announcement came just a few days after "Gust the News" published an extensive investigation into the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood and the growing concerns within the Trump administration regarding them. Additionally, Texas Governor Greg Abbott classified last week the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as "foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations."