Yolande Knell
Middle East Correspondent in Jerusalem
New footage shared on social media shows the far-right Israeli minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, taunting the most prominent Palestinian prisoner, Marwan Barghouti, in his cell.
The Palestinian Authority has condemned the video. Its Vice-President Hussein al-Sheikh described it as “the epitome of psychological, moral and physical terrorism.”
The 13-second-long video clip is the first time that Barghouti has been publicly seen in years. He appears aged and gaunt.
Israel’s national security minister, Ben Gvir, tells him: “You will not win. He who messes with the people of Israel, he who will murder our children, he who will murder our women, we will wipe him out”.
As Barghouti tries to interject, Ben Gvir adds: “You need to know this, throughout history.”
Marwan Barghouti, 66, was jailed by Israel more than 20 years ago after he was convicted of planning attacks that led to five civilians being killed. He is serving five life sentences plus 40 years.
Opinion polls have consistently indicated that he remains the most popular Palestinian leader, and that Palestinians would vote for him in a presidential election ahead of the current Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas or Hamas leaders.
He remains a senior figure in the Fatah faction, which dominates the Palestinian Authority (PA). He was targeted by Israel due to his leading role in the Second Palestinian Intifada or uprising from 2000-05.
The video originally surfaced on messaging groups for Ben Gvir’s supporters on Thursday but has now been reposted on his X account.
The minister says that having read how “all sorts of “senior officials”” in the PA did not like what he said, he will “repeat it again and again without apologising”.
Palestinian prisoner rights organisations say that Barghouti has been placed in solitary confinement since the deadly Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023. Last year they accused guards of “brutally assaulting” him in his cell which the Israeli prison service denied.
In response to the new video, the head of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, Abdullah al-Zaghari accused Israel of seeking “to eliminate him and assassinate the leaders languishing in its prisons”.
Barghouti is one of the prisoners whose release Hamas is believed to have sought as part of an exchange deal for the remaining hostages it is holding. However, it is thought very unlikely that Israel would free him.
In the video, as Ben Gvir speaks, Barghouti – who is fluent in Hebrew – can be seen nodding and trying to break in, but the short clip ends before he does.
His wife, Fadwa, recommended to her husband’s followers that only one still be used from the video which she believed showed his strength.
Palestinians widely see Barghouti as the leader who could best unify different political factions and negotiate peace with Israel.
