JERUSALEM 

Israeli authorities have imposed a one-month travel ban on Sheikh Raed Salah, the leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement, his lawyer said on Monday.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Salah's lawyer Khaled Zabarqa said that the decision was taken by Israeli Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked and that the ban can be extended up to six months.

"This is an arbitrary and illegal decision and is part of the political persecution by the Israeli authorities against Sheikh Raed Salah," Zabarqa said.

He added that Salah does not do any secret work and has the right to travel anywhere he wants.

Salah was released in December after 16 months in Israeli jails.

The Islamic Movement in Israel, which Salah founded in 1971, has been outlawed by the Israeli authorities since 2015. In recent years, the same authorities have repeatedly arrested Salah and shut down dozens of organizations, including a number of charities, over their alleged links to his group.

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Writing by Ahmed Asmar