Marwan Barghouti

Actor

Born: June 6, 1959 (age 67) · Ramallah, West Bank, Palestine

Marwan Barghouti (Arabic: مروان البرغوثي, romanized: Marwān al-Bargūṯiyy; born 6 June 1959), sometimes known by the kunya Abu Al-Qassam (أبو القسام), is a Palestinian politician who has served as an elected legislator of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC). Barghouti is currently on life imprisonment by Israel due to his alleged involvement in deadly attacks during the Second Intifada.

Born in Kobar in the West Bank, he emerged as a prominent student organizer during the First Intifada. In 1994, he became Secretary-General of Fatah in the West Bank and was elected to the PLC in 1996. During the Second Intifada, Barghouti gained widespread national prominence leading Fatah's Tanzim faction. He publicly advocated for armed resistance against the Israeli military occupation while maintaining support for a two-state solution based on 1967 borders. Israel has accused Barghouti of having co-founded and lead the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, which he had denied.

In 2002, he was captured during Operation Defensive Shield and subsequently convicted of five counts of murder and one of attempted murder. Barghouti declined to recognise the legitimacy of the court or enter a plea, but stated that he had no connection to the incidents. An Inter-Parliamentary Union report found that Barghouti was not given a fair trial and questioned the quality of the evidence. During his imprisonment, Barghouti has continued to be politically active. He was the 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 led a hunger strike in 2017 that led to increased visitation rights. Since the October 2023 attacks and the Gaza war, he has been denied visits from his family and reportedly been severely beaten several times, leading to persistent damage to his health.

Despite his imprisonment, Barghouti consistently ranks as Palestinians' top choice 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 capable to unify the Palestinians and negotiate a compromise with Israel. He has been referred to as "the Palestinian Mandela". There have been several attempts to secure his release through negotiations.

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