Israel blocks Islamist convention

Israeli police blocked a suspected pro-Hamas convention in Jerusalem. Police ordered an Arab hotel in eastern Jerusalem on Wednesday not to host a planned event by Israel’s Islamic Movement, saying Palestinian Hamas members were believed to be involved in its planning. The Islamic Movement’s leader in northern Israel, Sheik Raed Salah, recently has called for violent protests against an Israeli archaeological dig in the Old City of Jerusalem. Salah claims Israel is using the dig to undermine two major mosques on the Temple Mount, a claim he often uses to incite violence against Israel. Authorities issued a restraining order limiting Salah’s movement in Jerusalem. Israel has stepped up measures to prevent Hamas activities in the capital since the Islamist terrorist group won Palestinian Authority elections last year.