Who is This Marwan Barghouti? Why is Israel afraid of releasing Marwan Barghouti?
After Decades in an Israeli Prison, Marwan Barghouti Remains the Palestinian Figure Israel Fears Most
TEL AVIV/JERUSALEM – In the deep recesses of Israel’s security apparatus and the tangled web of Palestinian politics, one name consistently evokes a unique blend of respect, hope, and profound anxiety: Marwan Barghouti. Serving five life sentences in an Israeli prison, the 64-year-old leader is often described as a potential “Palestinian Mandela,” a figure whose release could fundamentally alter the conflict’s trajectory—a prospect that terrifies many in the Israeli establishment.
Who is Marwan Barghouti?
To his supporters, Barghouti is a charismatic leader, a former activist in the First Intifada who evolved into a political force during the Oslo peace process of the 1990s. Fluent in Hebrew from his time studying at Hebrew University, he built relationships with Israeli peace advocates and politicians, arguing for a two-state solution.
To the Israeli justice system, he is a “terrorist architect.” During the bloody Second Intifada (2000-2005), Barghouti became a leader of the Tanzim militia and was a key figure in Fatah’s military wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades. Israel holds him directly responsible for numerous attacks that killed Israeli civilians and soldiers.
Why is He in Prison?
Barghouti was arrested by Israeli forces in a Ramallah compound in 2002. In a highly publicized 2004 trial, he was convicted on five counts of murder for his role in planning attacks. He refused to recognize the court’s legitimacy, arguing that as an elected member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and a freedom fighter, he was immune from prosecution by an occupying power.
He has been in Israeli custody for over 22 years.
The Source of Israeli Fear: The ‘Mandela’ Scenario
The fear surrounding Barghouti is not rooted in his past as a militant, a category filled with many Palestinians in Israeli jails. Instead, it stems from his unique present and potential future.
- Unrivaled Legitimacy: Unlike the aging and politically weakened Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas, Barghouti enjoys immense popularity across the Palestinian political spectrum. Polls consistently show he is the only figure who could handily win a presidential election against Hamas rivals. He is seen by many as a leader who “fought and sacrificed,” giving him a credibility the PA in Ramallah sorely lacks.
- A Unifying Figure: In a land fractured between Fatah in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza, Barghouti is one of the few figures with support in both territories. He could potentially bridge the bitter 17-year schism that has crippled Palestinian governance and strategy.
- The Peace Advocate from Prison: This is the core of the paradox that worries Israeli strategists. From his cell, Barghouti has continued to advocate for a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders. He is the embodiment of a leader who has the revolutionary credentials to make a painful compromise with Israel and, crucially, to sell it to his people. Releasing him would not be freeing just any prisoner; it would be unleashing a politically potent, democratically legitimate, and pragmatic leader onto the scene.
“Israel knows how to deal with division and extremism on the Palestinian side. It creates a convenient status quo,” said Dr. Yael Ronen, a political analyst at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute. “What it doesn’t know how to handle is a unified Palestinian leadership under a figure like Barghouti. He represents the terrifying possibility of a legitimate partner for peace—a partner who would demand a high price and have the popular mandate to enforce it.”
The Israeli Dilemma
For the Israeli government, particularly its right-wing factions, Barghouti’s release is a non-starter. They view him as an unrepentant murderer who must never be freed. The current political climate, shaped by the trauma of the October 7th attacks, has hardened this position further.
However, security experts quietly acknowledge the bind. The current trajectory leads to either a perpetual, unsustainable occupation or the rise of even more radical forces. Barghouti represents a third path, but one that requires a leap of faith Israel is unwilling to take.
“The fear is that by creating a viable Palestinian partner for peace in the form of Barghouti, you inevitably force a conversation about a Palestinian state, borders, and Jerusalem that the Israeli public and its political leadership are not ready to have,” said a former Shin Bet official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “It’s easier to manage the conflict with a weak and divided adversary than to negotiate an end to it with a strong and unified one.”
As long as Marwan Barghouti remains behind bars, he is a symbol of Palestinian resistance and incarceration. But for Israel, his greatest threat may lie in what he would become the moment he walks free: the one Palestinian who could truly change the game.