After October 7, Marwan Barghouti called on Palestinian factions to rise up to fight the oppressive Israeli occupation. According to Al Jazeera, “this call to action spread like wildfire” and resulted in Marwan being sent to solitary confinement.
As Palestinian life hangs in the balance, calls for his release have sparked renewed optimism within fractured Palestinian politics. Aptly named the “Palestinian Nelson Mandela,” Barghouti represents the future of negotiations and the formation of a Palestinian State.
In a perpetual state of despair, Barghouti sits in solitary confinement serving five life sentences. However, prison has yet to diminish the authority he exerts within political movements. Remarkably, even a segment of the Israeli power structure has seen value in his leadership.
Former Mossad chief Ephraim Halevy called for his release in an attempt to generate negotiations with the Israeli government.
“Barghouti’s record is very bad, but there are those who are worse than him and are being released. Barghouti is popular with his people, he has a clear position, he speaks Hebrew well and can negotiate, all of which qualifies him to lead a new path,” the former Mossad chief said.
A true visionary, Barghouti’s prison stint at 18 years old showed a glimpse of his potential. During this time, he was elected prisoner representative. With this newly found authority, he was tasked with bringing together political factions and negotiating with Israeli authorities.
Once out of prison, he went on to persuade and influence the Israeli ruling class. According to The Christian Science Monitor, Barghouti, “as a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, regularly met with Israeli party leaders and toured Europe in joint Israeli-Palestinian parliamentary delegations. Colleagues say he was on a first-name basis with half the members of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. In 1996, when Hamas began a string of suicide bombings against civilians in Israel, Mr. Barghouti led a pro-peace march alongside Israeli activists, denouncing the attacks.”
For decades, amid the systemic rot within the Palestinian Authority and Israel’s ongoing occupation, Barghouti has stood as the antidote for an ailing Palestinian society. Talks of his release come with the hope of establishing a unifying government, one that transcends political differences and focuses on the broader issue: Palestinian liberation.
Some 23 years in prison (since 2002) have yet to diminish his relevance. A poll conducted on May 6, 2025, by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, suggests he would unseat the current Palestinian Authority leader in an election. A total of 1,270 Palestinians were polled, in both Gaza and the West Bank, with a margin of error at +/-3.5%. A threat to entrenched power, the PA requested, during negotiations, to “exclude Mr. Barghouti during a potential prisoner swap,” according to Middle East Eye. The PA feared he would “threaten the leadership of PA President Mahmoud Abbas.”
One may ask how Barghouti continues to retain the ability to move Palestinian society to rise up against the occupation’s barbarism as he sits in the confines of a prison?
“Barghouti symbolizes the Palestinian struggle against occupation, making it crucial for Hamas to free him for their popularity and credibility, as his imprisonment elevated him to an iconic figure, perceived as close to the people, and his suffering in prison makes him a leadership model for the Palestinians,” said Tahani Mustafa, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group.
For almost three years, the Zionist regime has laid bare its barbaric mistreatment of the Palestinians. During the first live-streamed genocide, the world is finally bearing witness to how Israel became a global pariah.
Once a lasting and permanent cease-fire is finally attained, the broader issue remains: How do we finally realize a two-state solution? With broad support and mass appeal, Barghouti’s iconic status may finally triumph over the obstacles to peaceful co-existence.
An article published by Al Jazeera states: “He supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and is seen by many as a leader who could potentially garner support for a peace deal resulting in the creation of a Palestinian state.”
Still the most viable, attainable approach for a settlement to the conflict remains the “two-state solution.” The majority of Israeli and Palestinian society see this as the only way forward.
As a proponent of this solution and his Mandela-like appeal, Marwan, courageously, could make immense strides in achieving this, if he could once again enter the public domain. During my correspondence with non-resident senior fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, Mouin Rabbani, said, “Barghouti was consistently a proponent of a two-state settlement, to be achieved by ending the occupation by negotiations if possible, struggle if necessary.”
As the genocidal state continues to destabilize the region, with utter contempt for human life, Barghouti remains the embodiment of hope to a resolution that is realizable. After 76 years of ethnic cleansing by the Zionist regime, Palestinian society has been ravaged, resulting in the manifestation of October 7. As the world had forgotten about Palestinians, the genocidal cries of terror from Gaza have once again propelled Palestine to the world stage. Marwan’s potential remains enormous.
The release of Barghouti comes with the potential of finally realizing a negotiated settlement on a Gaza cease-fire, bridging the divide between Hamas and the Israeli government, and leading to the eventual release of the hostages and ending the slaughter of Palestinians.
The possibility of this actually happening appears bleak, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial still in the fold, the incentive to keep the genocide going remains. Regardless, what remains steadfast is Palestinians’ resiliency and their fight for a better future.
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About the Author
Jonathan Urmeneta is a writer and researcher involved in the Palestinian solidarity movement. He has traveled extensively, denouncing and exposing U.S. imperial machinations from Silicon Valley to Russia to the Middle East. His work focuses on the intersection of power, geopolitics, and resistance, with a particular emphasis on the Global South. Jonathan can be reached on his Instagram account at humanr1ghtspulse or via email at jurmeneta@protonmail.com
Some positive personality traits and may contribute to future peace, but nevertheless he was he was the chief CEO and ringleader of a large group that engaged in terrorist activities against innocent civilians. Are there better leadership candidates than him? Hopefully.