His mural Marwan Barghouti it is the first thing one encounters when passing the checkpoint between Jerusalem and Ramallah, in the West Bank. His painted face has faded from the street battles that often break out between him and the Israeli army. But the phrase has not faded “Freedom for Barghouti” – neither from the wall nor from the memory of those who wish for peace.
Despite the fact that he has been imprisoned in Israel for two decades, the 66-year-old is considered, according to many polls, the most popular Palestinian potential leader. The “Economist” has characterized him “the world’s most important prisoner”, as many believe it can be the solution to the Palestinian issue, creating the conditions for Palestinian statehood and lasting peace.
“Good partner but with a complicated past”
In fact, some figures in the Israeli establishment agree. One of them is Yoshi Beileinhis deputy foreign minister Simon Peres in his government Yitzhak Rabin and by the “architects” of the Oslo Accords in 1993. “Barghouti is a good partner, despite his complicated past. So I am one of those who have been calling for his release since the day he was arrested, and I am glad that there is a movement that understands the importance of Marwan as a factor in future peace agreements.” he says in “Step”.
From the age of 15, Barghouti was in and out of Israeli prisons. There he was able to finish school and learn Hebrew. He later enrolled at Birzeit University in the West Bank, a hotbed of Palestinian student activism, and subsequently became one of Fatah’s most important leaders. He was deported to Jordan in 1987, but returned in 1994 under the terms of the Oslo Accords and was elected to parliament. The “Times” of London in 1996 called him “Heir of Arafat”.
“I have known him for many years, since he came back. He was then a young man who supported the two-state solution and believed in peace with Israel. He spoke Hebrew, which facilitated communication with the Israelis, and was a great hope for the peace campaign in Israel.” Beilein explains.
But as the prospect of a Palestinian state remained murky, in the early 2000s and during the second intifada, Barghouti helped Arafat create a military wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, which was initially limited to attacks on settlements and soldiers in the occupied territories. “I’m not a terrorist, but I’m not a pacifist either. I do not seek to destroy Israel, only to end the occupation of my country.” he had written at the time in the “Washington Post”.
He opposed attacks on civilians inside Israel, but Fatah was concerned that the organization looked weak compared to Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Thus, in late 2001, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade began sending suicide bombers into Israel.
“In a conversation we had on May 14, 2000, he said that because he didn’t see a peace deal on the horizon he decided to take the people to the streets. He said that if he didn’t do it, Hamas would win the streets – he felt that to deal with it he had to use its tools. I told him he was wrong, that he would never win like that, but he made up his mind. And eventually he got involved in one way or another in violence, terrorism and killing people.” Beilein tells us.
He was finally arrested in 2002 and sentenced to five life terms for murder and membership in a terrorist organization, after he waived the right to a defense to not recognize the jurisdiction of the Israeli court.
Barghouti’s supporters call him “Palestinian Nelson Mandela”, hoping that, after more than two decades behind bars, he can emulate the late South African leader and transform from prisoner to national unifier.
The Palestinian Kaled Elgidia fellow at the Quincy Institute, explains to “Step” that “Obviously the conflict is bigger than one person – there’s a history of a hundred years. But since the conditions in Gaza are absolutely catastrophic, and while the West Bank is also in a very bad state, it is impossible to imagine any progress without a credible Palestinian leadership.”.
In recent years, the Palestinian Authority led by the 89-year-old Mahmoud Abbas he is despised by many Palestinians, both for corruption and for his subservient policy towards Israel. Polls show Barghouti is popular enough to unite the disparate Palestinian factions.
“Barghouti represents an alternative to the current Palestinian Authority, which has become a subcontractor of the Israeli occupation and has also supported Israel’s decision to keep him imprisoned as a threat to its hegemony in Palestinian politics.” says the Palestinian analyst to “Vima”. Tariq Kenny-Saua from the Palestinian think tank Al Shabaka.
Elgidi confirms that these “rumors” exist about the Palestinian Authority, as Abbas “he knows he is weak and has a history of trying to sideline any potential rivals, whether from within or outside of Fatah. Marwan is consistently more popular, which is not too difficult since Abbas is hopelessly unpopular.”.
“Many in Israel and internationally say that to make peace with the Palestinians you need a strong leader and that Abu Mazen (PBUH) is not that. Barghouti, in this sense, is the perfect person: he is not seen as cooperating with Israel, but at the same time he believes in peace. And, because it is so populist – even to the people of Hamas – it is an opportunity for serious talks about a sustainable peace deal.” Beilein adds.
According to Elgidi, Barghouti’s popularity as a leader is based on two factors: “Part of it is the mystery surrounding him, as someone who pays a heavy price for the cause – imprisoned and tortured in Israeli prisons for more than 20 years. And it is also the fact that the Palestinians are hungry for leadership, they are desperate for someone who can unite them. And so, perhaps they are projecting more on Marwan than he could be”.
Last August, a 13-second video made the rounds in Israel. In it, Israel’s far-right Minister of National Security Ben-Gvir appeared to taunt a thin, visibly distressed man, telling him among other things; “You will not win”. This was Barghouti’s first documentary in many years.
It is a “unifying personality”
Israel refuses to release him and mostly keeps him in solitary confinement. When Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners two months ago, Barghouti was not among them. As Beilein explains, this is because the prime minister Netanyahu “he doesn’t want a partner. For his far-right government, it is good that there is no partner from the Palestinian side, since it does not want a two-state solution. And Marwan is potentially the partner for the solution”.
“Barghouti has long been seen as a unifying figure, which is why Israel keeps him imprisoned and unable to play a role in unifying Palestinian politics.” points out Kenny-Saua.
