Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, testifying today before the Ohr Commission, denied strenuously that he had given an order to "use all means" to open the Wadi Ara highway during the Israeli-Arab riots of October 2000. The highway is a very central artery in north-central Israel, connecting Hadera and the coast with Afula and further north and east. Arutz-7's Haggai Segal noted that Barak was not asked why he did *not* give such an order, considering the importance of the route and the violent circumstances under which it was closed by the rioting Arabs. Nor was Barak asked if he regretted having ordered the establishment of the Ohr Comission to investigate the police reaction to the riots and the deaths of 13 Arabs. It was widely assumed at the time that Barak wished to gain points in the Arab sector in anticipation of the elections that followed shortly afterwards.