Opposition parties forced yesterday (Wednesday, February 24) Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu to address the Knesset (the Israeli parliament) by submitting a petition with the signatures of 40 MKs, providing a platform for the premier to offer his analysis of regional conditions.
Netanyahu's speech was interrupted by Hadash (Democratic Front for Peace and Equality – Communist Party of Israel) Chairman MK Mohammad Barakeh, who shouted at him, "You live on the balance of terror – peace frightens you."
Speaking before Netanyahu, Hadash Chairman Muhammad Barakeh anticipated the prime minister’s comments and accused him of sending open and hinted threats regarding the popular revolutions in the Arab world and regarding the Palestinian Authority and Iran. "This man", he continued, "is a dangerous pyromaniac who must be stopped from within Israeli politics and in the international arena".