The decision by the Israeli government on Tuesday to outlaw the country's main Islamic Movement marks a dangerous turning point in Israel's relations with its large Palestinian minority, Palestinian leaders in Israel have warned.

The move effectively drives underground a religious, political and social movement representing the views of a sizeable portion of Israel's 1.6 million Palestinian citizens, comprising a fifth of the population.

Jamal Zahalka was among the Palestinian members of the Israeli parliament who called the decision a "declaration of war" against the country's Palestinian minority.

"It is an attack not just on the northern Islamic Movement but on our entire community," he told Middle East Eye.