Jerusalem court banishes sheik from city

JERUSALEM, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- A Jerusalem court banned the head of the Islamic Movement's northern faction from the city for 30 days for inciting violence on Temple Mount.

Sheik Raed Salah was arrested Tuesday on the rooftop of an East Jerusalem building and appeared in the Jerusalem Magistrates court Tuesday night, Maariv said Wednesday.

Fearing the court ruling may cause further violence, Israeli police maintained tight security in Jerusalem Wednesday, the newspaper said.

Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch praised the court's decision and said "police will use all of the tools at their disposal to act against elements that incite others to violence and subversion against the state," the paper quoted him saying.

Salah told Haaretz Monday as long as Israel continues to occupy Jerusalem and al-Aqsa mosque, the violence will continue. Israel must withdraw from these areas if calm is to be restored, he said.

Senior Israeli security officials expressed fear the violence may spread to the West Bank, the paper said.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu chose to refrain from making statements on the recent violence in the capital to avoid playing into the hands of the movement's northern faction, the paper quoted the officials saying.