Marwan Barghouti

Marwan Barghouti (; born 6 June 1959), sometimes known by the kunya Abu Al-Qassam (), is a Palestinian political leader who has served as an elected legislator and has been an advocate of a two-state solution since prior to his imprisonment by Israel. An Inter-Parliamentary Union report found that Barghouti was not given a fair trial and questioned the quality of the evidence.

Despite his imprisonment, Barghouti has consistently topped opinion polls asking Palestinians whom they would vote for in a Presidential election, ahead of both current Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas and leaders of Hamas. Several prominent supporters of a resumption of the Israel-Palestine peace process view Barghouti as the leader most able to unify the Palestinians and negotiate a compromise with Israel. He has been referred to as "the Palestinian Mandela".

During his years in prison, Barghouti has continued to be politically active. He was an instigator and lead author of the 2006 Palestinian Prisoners' Document, which proposed a political path to a two-state solution, and secured support from Hamas. He has organised education for fellow inmates, and in 2017 led a hunger strike that led to increased visitation rights. Since October 2023, he has been denied visits from his family and been severely beaten several times, leading to persistent damage to his health, according to his lawyer. Israeli authorities have rejected his complaints over the incidents. Several attempts to secure his release through negotiations have failed.

Early life, education and expulsion

Barghouti was born in the village of Kobar near Ramallah in the West Bank. Like his distant cousin Mustafa Barghouti, a fellow Palestinian political leader, he belongs to the extended Barghouti family. His younger brother Muqbel described him as "a naughty and rebellious boy."

In 1967, when Barghouti was seven years old, Israel occupied the West Bank in the Six-Day War. According to The Economist, Marwan's "neighbours were beaten up or arrested for flying Palestinian flags. Military bases and Jewish settlements sprang up around their village. Israeli soldiers shot dead the family dog for barking."

Barghouti enrolled at Birzeit University in 1983, though arrest and exile meant that he did not receive his bachelor's degree (History and Political Science) until 1994. He earned a master's degree in International Relations, also from Birzeit, in 1998. As an undergraduate, he was active in student politics on behalf of Fatah and headed the Birzeit Student Council. In 1984, he married Fadwa Ibrahim, a fellow student. Fadwa studied law and was a prominent advocate in her own right on behalf of Palestinian prisoners, before becoming the leading campaigner for her husband's release from his current jail term. Together the couple had four children. Before his eldest son was born, and while still a student leader, Barghouti was jailed for a third time. When he was allowed to return to Palestine in April 1994 as a result of the Oslo Accords, Barghouti found that he was able to bridge the divide between the two groups. By the summer of 2000, particularly after the Camp David summit failed, Barghouti was disillusioned and said that popular protests and "new forms of military struggle" would be features of the "next Intifada."

As the Palestinian death toll in the Second Intifada mounted, Barghouti called for Palestinians to target Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank and Gaza, but not within Israel.

Israel has accused Barghouti of having co-founded and lead the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades during this period, which he has denied. At the time, Israeli security sources claimed that they had intended to kill another Fatah operative. The then-head of Shin Bet subsequently claimed to have made two attempts to assassinate Barghouti. Barghouti went into hiding.

Israeli arrest, interrogation and trial

thumb|Barghouti being arrested by Israeli soldiers in Ramallah during [[Operation Defensive Shield]]

Barghouti was captured on 15 April 2002, by Israeli soldiers, who had disguised their journey to his location by hiding in an ambulance. He was transferred to the Moscovia Detention Centre. On 18 April, Barghouti was reported to have declined to cooperate with his interrogators, and to have been allowed to communicate with his lawyer. He was then denied the right to see his lawyer for the next month, except for an occasion on which they were not allowed to discuss the investigation. He said that he was forced to sit on a chair with nails protruding into his back for hours at a time. Barghouti was charged with 26 charges of murder and attempted murder stemming from attacks carried out by the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades on Israeli civilians and soldiers. Barghouti refused to present a defense to the charges brought against him, maintaining throughout that the trial was illegal and illegitimate. He stressed that he supported armed resistance to the Israeli occupation, but condemned attacks on civilians inside Israel. According to the case argued by Israel at his trial, he had supported and authorized such attacks. On 20 May 2004, he was convicted of five counts of murder: authorizing and organizing the murder of Georgios Tsibouktzakis (a.k.a. Father Germanos, a Greek Orthodox monk-priest), a shooting adjacent to Giv'at Ze'ev in which a civilian was killed, and the Seafood Market attack in Tel Aviv in which three civilians were killed. In addition, he was convicted of attempted murder for a failed car bomb attack near Malha Mall that exploded prematurely, resulting in the deaths of two suicide bombers, and for membership and activity in a terrorist organization. He was acquitted of 21 counts of murder in 33 other attacks as no proof was brought to link Barghouti directly with the specific decisions of the local leadership of the Tanzim to carry out these particular attacks. Following the verdict, Barghouti shouted in Hebrew, "This is a court of occupation that I do not recognize. A day will come when you will be ashamed of these accusations. I have no more connection to these charges than you, the judges, do." On 6 June 2004, he was sentenced to the maximum possible punishment for his convictions: five cumulative life sentences for the murders and an additional 40 years, consisting of 20 years each for attempted murder and for membership and activity in a terrorist organization. The Israeli verdict against him in effect removed Arafat's only political rival.

Criticism of trial

The Inter-Parliamentary Union found that the "numerous breaches of international law" to which Barghouti was subjected "make it impossible to conclude that Mr. Barghouti was given a fair trial." The criticisms raised by Simon Foreman, the report's author, included the court's failure to consider the public allegations of torture; its authorisation of incommunicado detention; prejudicial statements by the presiding judge; the transportation of Barghouti to Israel contrary to the Fourth Geneva Convention; and the poor evidence for guilt. The International Campaign to Free Marwan Barghouti and All Palestinian Prisoners was launched in 2013 from Nelson Mandela's former cell on Robben Island. The campaign was launched by Fadwa and Ahmed Kathrada, who was jailed alongside Mandela at the Rivonia Trial. Barghouti has often drawn comparisons to Mandela from commentators inclined toward a resumption of the peace process. For example, Reuters reported that some see Barghouti "as a Palestinian Nelson Mandela, the man who could galvanize a drifting and divided national movement if only he were set free by Israel." Many of his supporters have campaigned for his release. They include prominent Palestinian figures, members of European Parliament and the Israeli group Gush Shalom. According to The Jerusalem Post, "[u]nlike many in the Western media, Palestinian journalists have rarely referred to Barghouti in these terms.

In August 2023, Barghouti's wife Fadwa held meetings with senior officials and diplomats across the world, including Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, to advocate for her husband's release and position him as a successor to Abbas. According to Al-Sharq al-Awsat, Barghouti would run in Palestinian presidential elections and maintained a polling lead over all other candidates. Near the end of 2025, a diverse group signed an open letter calling for his release. The 200 signers were called "leading cultural figures" by The Guardian as it included well known writers and musicians. Among the signatories are notable individuals such as British actor Stephen Fry, American musician Paul Simon, and actresses Hannah Einbinder and Ilana Glazer. The "Free Marwan" campaign was organized in response to Barghouti's decades-long imprisonment and harsh detention conditions, representing one of the most prominent international efforts in recent years to secure his release.

Israeli debate on freeing Barghouti

In 2008, 45% of Israelis supported the release of Barghouti, while 51% opposed. Another approach is to suggest that Israel's freeing of Barghouti would be an excellent show of good faith in the peace process. Some prominent Israelis have called for Barghouti's release, citing his unique ability to unite Palestinians. These include Ami Ayalon, Efraim Halevy, Meir Shitreet, Figures who have spoken in opposition to his release include former Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, Avi Dichter, and former Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, who called Barghouti "an assassin who has blood on his hands."

This view gained popularity among the Israeli left after the 2005 disengagement from the Gaza Strip. Still others, operating from a realpolitik perspective, have pointed out that allowing Barghouti to re-enter Palestinian politics could serve to bolster Fatah against gains in Hamas' popularity.

In January 2007, Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres declared that he would pardon Barghouti if elected president. Peres was elected, but issued no pardon.

History of negotiations concerning Barghouti's release

In 2004, Israel's ambassador to Washington Danny Ayalon proposed, with the "tacit agreement" of Ariel Sharon, that Israel would free Barghouti in exchange for the Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, who was imprisoned by the United States. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice rejected the request. He reportedly continued to oppose Barghouti's release in 2007.

Hamas sought the inclusion of Barghouti in the 2011 prisoner exchange deal that led to the release of Gilad Shalit, but Israel refused to include him. Israel again refused. The Economist reported that Mahmoud Abbas, who was expected to face a political challenge from Barghouti on the latter's release, "urged Qatari mediators to remove Barghouti's name from the list of prisoner exchanges."

Political activity in prison

2005 and 2006 Palestinian elections and disputes with Fatah

Yasser Arafat died in November 2004, and the Palestinian Authority called a presidential election for January 2005. Barghouti announced from his isolation cell that he would contest the election, challenging interim-President Mahmoud Abbas, a long-time Fatah administrator of Arafat's generation. Fadwa registered her husband's candidacy as an independent on 1 December.

The Israeli government came to know that two of Barghouti's closest confidantes – Fadwa and advisor Qadura Fares – privately opposed Barghouti's decision to stand, and decided to allow the two to meet with Barghouti to press their case, breaking two years in which he had been denied such contact. His campaign manager announced Barghouti's decision to withdraw from the race on 12 December. In a letter read at the announcement, Barghouti accused Fatah's leadership of having grown "old, weak and alienated" from the rank and file. In 2016, Fares said that he believed his advice had been a mistake.

Prisoners' Document and other activism

On 11 May 2006, Palestinian leaders held in Israeli prisons released the National Conciliation Document of the Prisoners. The document was a proposal initiated by Marwan Barghouti and leaders of Hamas, the PFLP, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the DFLP that proposed a basis upon which a coalition government should be formed in the Palestinian Legislative Council. This came as a result of the political stalemate in the Palestinian territories that followed Hamas' election to the PLC in January 2006. Crucially, the document also called for negotiation with the state of Israel in order to achieve lasting peace. The document quickly gained popular currency and is now considered the bedrock upon which a national unity government should be achieved. According to Haaretz, Barghouti, although not officially represented in the negotiations of a Palestinian unity government in February 2007, played a major role in mediating between Hamas and Fatah and formulating the compromise reached on 8 February 2007. In 2009, he was elected to party leadership at the Fatah Conference in Bethlehem.

In March 2010, Barghouti completed a doctorate in political science. He had been accepted by Cairo University and the Arab Academy for Research and Studies in 1999, prior to his arrest in 2002. His doctoral thesis was titled "The Legislative and Political Performance of the Palestinian Legislative Council and its Contribution to the Democratic Process in Palestine from 1996 to 2008." Barghouti was reported to have taught a master's level course in "Israel Studies" to hundreds of fellow Palestinian prisoners while incarcerated. One former inmate, Abu Muhsin, said he had studied under Barghouti during his 23-year sentence, ultimately earning a bachelor's degree in political science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a master's degree from Al-Quds University. Barghouti's attainment of a doctorate in 2010 enabled him to teach university-level courses in prison. Barghouti had organised a programme to provide education to his fellow prisoners. In a 2014 interview he stated:<blockquote>I teach and lecture on a variety of topics in various disciplines, including at the university level... There are dozens of prisoners who never had the chance to be educated at the secondary or university level and who want to pursue their education. I have been in charge of teaching them and we’ve achieved good results in both foreign language instruction and university syllabuses with the help of some of my fellow detainees.</blockquote>

Barghouti declined to testify before an Israeli court in January 2012, but used the opportunity of his appearance to say that "an Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 lines and the establishment of a Palestinian state will bring an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," according to Haaretz's Avi Issacharoff. That March, in a letter from prison, Barghouti called for a new wave of civil resistance against the occupation, and for the Palestinian Authority to end all coordination with Israel. He wrote "Large-scale popular resistance at this stage serves the cause of our people." Barghouti has frequently been punished for releasing statements through internment in solitary confinement. In 2016, a plan for confronting the occupation, purportedly authored by Barghouti and smuggled from prison, was presented by an ally. The plans hinged on "mass disobedience" and demonstrations of hundreds of thousands of people according to the Economist's 1843 Magazine. In an op-ed for The New York Times, Barghouti said that the hunger strikers sought to end the "torture, inhumane and degrading treatment, and medical negligence" to which prisoners were subject. A list of demands issued by the strikers included access to telephones to communicate with their families, increased visitation rights, and a series of steps to address medical negligence.

On 7 May, the Israel Prison Service released videos allegedly showing Barghouti hiding in the toilet stall of his cell while eating cookies and candy, then trying to flush the wrappers. The videos were recorded on 27 April and on 5 May, a period during which almost 1,000 of Barghouti's fellow prisoners were refusing all food. Anonymous sources in the prison service confirmed the authenticity of the videos, saying that the food was made available to Barghouti to test his adherence to the hunger strike. Barghouti's attorney refused to respond to the videos, while his wife claimed that they had been "fabricated" to discredit him. Israeli media reported that this was not Barghouti's first time being caught secretly breaking a hunger strike, and that in 2004 he had been photographed hiding a plate after eating off it in his cell. According to Haaretz's Amos Harel, among Palestinians, the episode "only strengthened his image as a leader who is feared by Israel – which resorts to ugly tricks in order to trip him up,". The hunger strike ended after Israel conceded a second family visit for each prisoner per month. but they were cancelled by President Abbas, citing Israel's refusal to permit voting in East Jerusalem. Immediately prior to the cancelation, a poll suggested that Barghouti would go on to win the Presidency, with more than double Abbas's support, and significantly more than that of Ismail Haniyeh. Barghouti remains the most popular Palestinian leader. In each of the six polls conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research between September 2023 and May 2025, Barghouti came out ahead of a Hamas candidate when Palestinians were asked who they would vote for as president in a two-way race.

Conditions of imprisonment and alleged mistreatment

Barghouti was held in solitary confinement for three years following his 2002 detention and has frequently been returned to solitary confinement since. Since 7 October 2023, Barghouti has been interred in solitary confinement. Shortly after that date, the governor of Ofer Prison ordered Barghouti to kneel before the governor, according to his son, Arab Barghouti.

In December 2023, his lawyer claimed that Barghouti was beaten on several occasions, and on one occasion was "dragged on the floor naked in front of other prisoners." In March 2024, Barghouti told his lawyers that he was dragged to an area of Megiddo prison without security cameras and assaulted with batons by prison guards. The Guardian reported: "He recalled bleeding from the nose as he was dragged across the floor by his handcuffs, before he was beaten unconscious." They have four children along with six grandchildren (as of 2024). In a 2025 interview with Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart on their podcast, Leading, Arab Barghouti revealed that his father was a fan of Real Madrid CF.

His former daughter-in-law, Nadeen Ayoub, who married his son Sharaf in 2016, participated in the 2025 Miss Universe contest as Miss Palestine. By the time Ayoub took part in the contest, her marriage to Sharaf had ended.

Books

ألف يوم في زنزانة العزل الانفرادي (“A Thousand Days in the Cell of Solitary Confinement”).

References

External links

Ramzy Baroud, What Marwan Barghouti Really Means to Palestinians, Palestine Chronicle, 4 April 2012
Bitter Circus Erupts as Israel Indicts a Top Fatah Figure, The New York Times, 15 August 2002
The 'Palestinian Napoleon' Behind Mideast Cease-fire, CS Monitor, 3 July 2003.
Uri Avnery, "Palestine's Mandela" , New Internationalist, November 2007
Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs page about Barghouti