Marwan Barghouti

Marwan Barghouti (also transliterated al-Barghuthi; Arabic: مروان البرغوثي; born 6 June 1959) is a Palestinian political leader who has served as an elected legislator and has been an advocate of a two-state solution prior to his imprisonment by Israel.

Barghouti led street protests and diplomatic initiatives until 2002, the early Second Intifada, when he was captured, convicted, and imprisoned by Israel on charges of involvement in deadly attacks that resulted in the deaths of five people. Barghouti declined to recognise the legitimacy of the court or enter a plea, but stated that he had no connection to the incidents for which he was convicted. 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 who they would vote for in a Presidential election, ahead of both current 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 had 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.