Israel lists 3 organizations as terror groups

Israeli cabinet on Sunday said that the Islamic State (IS), the al-Nusra Front, and Abdullah Azzam Brigades are officially declared "illegal terror organizations."

The Prime Minister's office said in a statement that the IS has inspired affiliate groups in Israelis.

"The IS militant group is expanding the territory under its control and at the same time winning widespread support among Muslims in the Middle East and around the world," the statement said.

The al-Nusra Front and Abdullah Azzam Brigades are al-Qaida-affiliated organizations. All of the outlawed groups are extreme jihadist militias, which are fighting, among others, against the government of Syria, with which Israel shares a volatile border.

According to the cabinet, these organizations were stepping up efforts to harm the Jewish state, including attempts to "act within Israel."

"We are constantly fighting the IS, the al-Nusra Front and other terrorist organizations," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the start of the meeting. "Whoever joins the ranks of the enemy to fight against Israel will not be an Israeli citizen," he added.

He was referring to an Arab citizen of Israel, who crossed the border into Syria using a hand glider over the weekend, in an apparent attempt to join the IS.

Netanyahu said the Israeli government will act to nullify this man's citizenship, adding that the same measure will be also taken in future cases.

Dozens of Arab Israelis have undergone legal procedures in Israel in the past two years after traveling to Syria and attempting to join the IS or other jihadist groups.

Most Arab Israelis are Palestinians who stayed put during Israel's 1948 Independence War and remained citizens of the country, making up 20 percent of the population. Endit