Marwan Barghouti: Palestine's most popular, Israel's most wanted

Who is the prisoner recently seen being confronted in his cell by Israeli Minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir? 

Marwan Barghouti was relatively unknown to many Palestinians until he emerged as a key figure during the second Palestinian Intifada, or 'uprising'.

His 2002 arrest by Israeli forces and subsequent 2004 conviction on five counts of murder brought him into the national spotlight, turning him into a symbol of resistance.

Today, Barghouti commands broad respect across Palestinian political factions and, despite being imprisoned in Israel, is widely seen as a leading contender to succeed Mahmoud Abbas as President of the Palestinian Authority.

Who is Marwan Barghouti?

Marwan Barghouti was born on June 6, 1959, in the village of Kobar, near the city of Ramallah, in the West Bank. 

He is a prominent Palestinian political activist and Fatah leader. Fatah, or Palestinian National Liberation Movement, is the main rival of Hamas. 

Barghouti was nearly nine years old when Israel occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East war.

Barghouti rose to prominence as a grassroots figure and youth leader during the First Intifada, later serving as secretary‑general of Fatah in the West Bank and being elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council in 1996.

According to the Institute of Palestine Studies, Barghouti joined Fatah at 15 and, by the age of 19, he had been arrested and convicted for being a member of an armed Palestinian group. 

While in prison, he completed his secondary schooling and learned Hebrew. Upon release and entry to Birzeit University in 1983, Barghouti became a prominent student leader.

By 1987, before the outbreak of the first Palestinian Intifada, he was arrested for "incitement" and exiled to Jordan.

How long has he been in prison for?

Barghouti has been in prison for more than two decades, since 2002. He was convicted in 2004 and is serving five consecutive life sentences plus an additional 40 years.

Palestinian prisoner rights organizations say that Barghouti has been placed in solitary confinement since the deadly Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023.

Barghouti is one of the prisoners whose release Hamas is believed to have sought as part of an exchange deal for the remaining hostages it is holding. However, it is thought very unlikely that Israel would free him.

What has he been imprisoned for?

Israel convicted Barghouti for his alleged role in directing deadly attacks during the second Palestinian Intifada. 

​​Israel accused Barghouti of founding the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades in the early 2000s and indicted him on 26 charges of murder and attempted murder attributed to the Brigades. He was sentenced by an Israeli court to five cumulative life sentences, plus 40 years for attempted murder and membership in a terrorist organization.

Barghouti offered no defense, refusing to recognize the authority of the Israeli court and saying only that he supported the armed resistance but opposed the targeting of civilians.

Why is he called the 'Palestinian Mandela?'

Barghouti is often likened to Nelson Mandela, South Africa's anti-apartheid leader, due to his long imprisonment and his status as a symbol of unity and resistance among Palestinians. 

He commands respect across political factions - including Fatah, Hamas, and others. And he remains a unifying and visionary figure seen by many as a potential successor to 89-year-old Mahmoud Abbas, who has been the President of the Palestinian Authority (PA) since 2004. 

What are Barghouti's political views?

Initially a supporter of the Oslo process – an attempt to broker a peace deal which began in the 1990s – he became known as someone who believed the accords could lead to a lasting peace with Israel and an independent Palestinian state. 

However, in the face of Israeli expansion of existing settlements and the construction of new ones all over the West Bank, Barghouti shifted his position and began to lead growing calls for collective Palestinian resistance against the ongoing occupation.

He remains a proponent of a two‑state solution and democratic reform. From prison, he co‑authored the 2006 Prisoners' Document, a unifying document signed across factions calling for political reform and national unity under the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

What has been his contribution to the Palestinian liberation movement?

Barghouti combined grassroots activism with political leadership. He participated in civic projects before rising as a youth leader, and later became a key figure in Fatah's "young guard."

From prison, he helped broker ceasefires, authored influential unity documents, and led hunger strikes advocating prisoners' rights and broader democratic reforms.

Why is Barghouti in the news again?

In August 2025, a video surfaced showing Israeli Minister Itamar Ben‑Gvir confronting and verbally taunting Barghouti in his prison cell. 

The footage prompted widespread condemnation from Palestinian officials and the UN, with concerns raised over Barghouti's safety and deteriorating health.

In the video clip on Ben-Gvir's X which showed Barghouti looking thin and weak, the minister told him: "You will not win. Anyone who messes with the people of Israel, anyone who murders our children, anyone who murders our women – we will wipe him out."

Barghouti's health is reported to have deteriorated considerably, with prison rights groups alleging torture-like treatment, including beatings, solitary confinement, and medical neglect, by the Israeli authorities.

Despite being excluded from previous prisoner exchange deals, he remains the most requested detainee in current negotiations and polls consistently show him as the most popular potential leader in Palestinian politics.