Adalah: Police interrogation of Palestinian political leader in Israel Mohammad Barakeh in Ariel settlement is illegal

On 23 June 2026, police arrested Mohammad Barakeh, a former MK and former head of the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel, at his home and took him to the police station in the West Bank settlement of Ariel for interrogation. 

According to police, Barakeh is suspected of “expressing praise and identification with terrorists and terrorist organizations” over a 2022 speech. His arrest came shortly after Adalah sent a letter to the police on his behalf stating that, while Barakeh was fully willing to report for questioning within the borders of Israel, he refused to be interrogated inside an illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank.

See Adalah’s letter here

In the letter, Adalah emphasized that Barakeh“maintains a consistent public, political, and conscientious position that Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including Ariel, are illegal under international law. This position aligns with the established consensus of the international community, expressed in numerous UN resolutions and advisory opinions of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which confirm that the settlements are built on occupied Palestinian land.”

Despite Barakeh’s explicit offer to cooperate with police within Israel, on 22 June, the Presiding Judge of the Magistrates’ Courts in the Central District issued an arrest warrant against him. Barakeh was taken into custody the following morning, interrogated at the Ariel police station for several hours, and later released by the court under restrictive conditions, including a ban on entering the West Bank for a period of 30 days. Police also confiscated two of his mobile phones.

Adalah, which represents Barakeh, stated:

“Former MK Barakeh made it entirely clear that he was willing to report for questioning and present his account, as he had committed no offense whatsoever. His sole objection was being forced to attend an interrogation at the Ariel police station, located in occupied territory in direct violation of international law. Rather than recognizing the legitimacy of his request, the court sanctioned the police’s illegitimate conduct by issuing an arbitrary arrest warrant.”