Following the end of his studies, Barakeh returned to his hometown of Shefa-'Amr, a place with considerable importance in the internal politics of Israel's Arab citizens, and took up political activity in the local
Maki branch. He was first elected to the
Knesset in
1999, and was re-elected in
2003, after which he became Deputy
Speaker of the Knesset. Barakeh was re-elected again in
2006 and
2009. He was re-elected for a fifth term in
2013, but prior to the
2015 elections, he announced that he was retiring from politics, and was given the symbolic 120th place on the
Joint List, an alliance of Hadash and the main Arab parties.
Conflict with Baruch Marzel In February 2005, Barakeh was threatened by
Kahanist activist (and now-outlawed
Kach party leader)
Baruch Marzel over his pivotal support for
Ariel Sharon's evacuation compensation bill, a move that paved the way for
Israel's unilateral disengagement from the
Gaza Strip and northern
West Bank. In a letter, Marzel wrote to Barakeh: "the evacuation bill was passed with your backing, and now it is only a matter of time before it is implemented on other sectors of society, including you and your friends." Marzel wrote that Barakeh's vote "in favor of expelling Jews from their homes in Gaza and the northern
Samaria" would result in "appraisers [being] sent to your home to estimate its value."
Criminal charges On 1 November 2009 he was indicted on four counts for actions taken at political demonstrations: assault and interfering with a policeman in the line of duty on 28 April 2005, assault on a right-wing activist who had been recording a left-wing protest on 22 July 2006, insulting a public servant (police officer) on 5 August 2006, and for confronting an official (police officer) who was discharging his legal duty on 7 July 2007. The crimes were punishable by jail terms ranging from six months to five years, and according to the
Jerusalem Post, Barakeh was given one month to decide whether he wanted to request using his
parliamentary immunity or stand trial. At least one human rights group posited that the charges were politically motivated. "
Adalah, the Legal Center for Minority Rights in Israel, declared that the indictment against Barakeh was based on false testimony which Barakeh completely denied." In 2014, he was convicted of assault, but cleared of the other charges; the charges of insulting a public servant and interfering with a police officer in the line of duty were withdrawn in 2011 as they fell under his
parliamentary immunity. Barakeh was eventually fined 400
NIS and ordered to pay the assault victim 250 NIS.
Concentration camp trip In 2010, Barakeh joined an Israeli delegation visiting
World War II-era concentration camps. His inclusion in the trip was opposed by two right-wing Israeli legislators led by
Danny Danon, who claimed he would use the visit to attack Israel, and who lobbied unsuccessfully to have Barakeh barred from the commemoration. The visit drew criticism from Israeli Arabs who said the timing was inappropriate due to Israeli-Palestinian tensions. ==See also==