Barakeh, a member of the Knesset (the Israeli parliament), was interrogated today afternoon (Tuesday, May 20) at the Russian Compound police station in West Jerusalem in relation to the alleged "assault of a civilian and a police officer" in two different demonstrations against the Second Lebanon War in Tel-Aviv during 2006.
However, for more than a year, Barakeh ignored the police's requests. Recently, after head of investigations and intelligence Major General Yochanan Danino turned to several political figures, including Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik, did he respond. Barakeh coordinated the meeting with police and on Tuesday reported to the investigation.
Ten far-right activists, including Itamar Ben-Gvir, were waiting for Barakeh outside the police station. As he arrived they taunted him, calling him "a traitor" and saying "in any other country you would have been hanged."
In 2006, Barakeh was interrogated for "suspected assault of a soldier and a police officer" in a demonstration against the apartheid fence in the occupied West Bank Palestinian village of Bilin .
Following his interrogation, Barakeh said: "I came out of the probe with the same feeling I went into it – everything is bogus. This is a provocation by police, which wanted to prevent me from turning to the Internal Affairs Unit, because the police were the ones who behaved violently in those demonstrations, which were held with a permit."