Once again, Palestinians, as well as Israeli and foreign peace activists, held today (Friday, November 13) massive demonstrations against the West Bank occupation fence in Na’alin and Bil’in. And, once again, the protesters clashed with occupation forces, hurling rocks in their direction. In today’s Na’alin rally two protesters were wounded by Israeli soldiers.

In Bil’in, members of the Knesset (the Israeli parliament) and leading Communist Party of Israel activist’s Dov Khenin, Afo Agbaria and Hadash (the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality) chairman MK Muhammad Barakeh joined several hundreds demonstrators and protested the latter’s indictment for allegedly attacking a police officer four years ago.

The Attorney General informed last week that criminal charges have been filed against MK Barakeh, chairman of Hadash “for attacking an official who was discharging his legal duty, insulting a public servant, assault and interfering with a policeman in the line of duty”.

The Communist Party of Israel declared that the indictment against Barakeh was based on false testimony which Barakeh completely denied. According to the indictment, Barakeh participated in a protest against the apartheid fence near the Bil’in Palestinian village on April 28, 2005. When a soldier arrested one of the demonstrators, Barakeh allegedly choked him with his right hand and struck the soldier’s hands with his left, while shouting to nearby demonstrators, “free him, free him”. For this, he was charged with assaulting a person performing a duty or function assigned to him by law, a felony that carries a maximum five-year sentence.