Israel outlaws Islamic State

Marcy Oster

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon officially outlawed the Islamic State jihadist group.

Yaalon signed a statement Wednesday designating IS as an “unauthorized organization.”

He also signed a statement outlawing the Abdullah al-Azzam Brigades, a Sunni jihadist group linked to al-Qaida.

An unauthorized organization is a group of people that “suggests, incites or encourages” terrorism against Israel. The statement allows Israel to seize the assets of such an organization, as well as to stop it from meeting, recruiting or fundraising.

The move comes a day after the Islamic State released a video on the internet showing the beheading of Jewish-American journalist Steven Sotloff.

Israel reportedly believes it could discover an IS cell in the West Bank.