Israeli police detained and questioned a veteran Palestinian community leader on Tuesday in what has been condemned as part of a wider campaign of “political persecution” against Palestinian citizens of Israel.
Mohammad Barakeh, the former head of the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel, was summoned from his home in Shefa-Amr by police, according to the committee.
He was instructed to appear for questioning at a police station in the Ariel settlement in the occupied West Bank – a move the committee described as “provocative” – despite his objections to the location.
Barakeh, who also served as a member of parliament between 1999 and 2015, was questioned for around four hours over a speech he delivered in Ramallah in 2022. It was not immediately clear which aspects of the speech were being investigated.
He was fingerprinted and photographed during processing and was later released by a court under restrictive conditions.
CLICK FOLLOW: TO FOLLOW US
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on
Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other eSPORTY
The High Follow-Up Committee, an extra-parliamentary umbrella body representing Palestinian citizens of Israel, said the detention was intended to intimidate the community.
It described the case as “another dangerous episode in a series of political persecutions aimed at intimidating our Arab community and deterring it from its political activity and legitimate struggle against occupation, racism and political repression”.
Following questioning, Barakeh appeared before the Petah Tikva Magistrates’ Court, which imposed conditions including a travel ban until the end of October, surrender of his passport, and a 30-day ban on entering the occupied West Bank.
Police also confiscated his two mobile phones, saying they were required for the investigation.
His lawyer, Khaled Zabarqa, said Barakeh rejected several of the restrictions. The rights group Adalah is considering an appeal against both the conditions and the seizure of his devices.
Adalah said Barakeh had previously refused to attend questioning at Ariel and that police had not clarified the legal basis for holding the interrogation there.
‘Political and security interrogation’
The Palestinian-led party Hadash condemned the arrest, calling it a “political and security interrogation” and saying it was part of a broader campaign against Palestinian citizens and their political leadership.
Palestinian citizens of Israel are exiles in their own land
Read More »
It warned of “a fascist push to tighten the grip on the Arab public in the country and on its representative institutions, foremost among them the High Follow-Up Committee, to silence the national democratic voice opposing occupation, settlement expansion and racism”.
Another Palestinian-led party, Balad, also condemned the detention.
It said the case reflected ongoing efforts to suppress Palestinian political activity in Israel.
“The targeting of Muhammad Barakeh is a targeting of the Arab public and its right to organise, engage in political activity and pursue democratic struggle,” the party said.
“These policies will not succeed in silencing our people or deterring them from continuing to defend their national and civil rights in the face of occupation policies, racism, and the escalating incitement from the mouthpieces of the fascist right in Israel.”
