Former MK Mohammed Barakeh Detained for Suspected Incitement to Terror

Former Knesset member Mohammed Barakeh was arrested on Tuesday and taken for questioning by the Samaria crime-fighting unit on suspicion of incitement to terror. Police said the case concerns a speech he delivered at a Fatah rally marking the organization’s 58th anniversary in Ramallah in 2022.

According to investigators, Barakeh, who at the time was chairman of the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel, praised militants, referred to “the souls of the martyrs,” compared the Israeli government to a Nazi regime, and called for “popular resistance to the occupation” as well as “struggle and fighting” against Israel. The article says approval to open the investigation was granted only recently by the deputy state prosecutor, even though the complaint was filed in 2023.

After questioning, Barakeh was placed under restrictive conditions, including a 30-day ban on entering the Judea and Samaria area, along with undertakings and financial guarantees. The report also says the Shai District police chief’s policy is to pursue incitement cases firmly and persistently, noting that 184 incitement files have been handled in the district since the start of the year and 173 suspects have been arrested, with indictments filed in most of the cases.