‘Will wipe him out': Israeli minister mocks jailed senior Palestinian leader convicted in 2002; sparks outrage

Time of India

12 hours ago

Image: X@/itamarbengvir
Newly surfaced footage on social media shows far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben Gvir mocking prominent Palestinian prisoner Marwan Barghouti inside his cell.
The Palestinian Authority denounced the video, with Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh calling it 'the epitome of psychological, moral and physical terrorism.'
The footage marks the first sighting of Barghouti, 66, in years, who is currently serving five life sentences following his 2002 conviction for involvement in planning attacks that killed five Israeli civilians. It appears to be filmed inside the high-security prison in southern Israel where Barghouti is held.
"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,' Gvir, Israel's national security minister, appears to tell him in the video.
"You need to know this, throughout history," Gvir says as Barghouti tries to interject.
The video initially appeared on Thursday in messaging groups supporting Gvir before being reposted on his X account.
The minister said that after seeing reports that 'all sorts of senior officials' in the Palestinian Authority objected to his remarks, he would 'repeat it again and again without apologising,' reported the BBC.
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Palestinian prisoner rights groups report that Barghouti has been held in solitary confinement since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. Last year, they accused prison guards of 'brutally assaulting' him in his cell, an allegation that the Israeli prison service has denied.
'You can't humiliate a person who is weakened by being put in a jail and in a cell,' said Barghouti's cousin, Mustafa Barghouti, as quoted by CNN.
'In reality, he humiliated the Israeli government by this behavior.'
Barghouti is among the prisoners Hamas is believed to have demanded in a potential exchange for the remaining hostages it holds, though Israel is considered highly unlikely to agree to his release, reported the BBC.
Barghouti continues to be a senior leader within the Fatah faction, which leads the Palestinian Authority (PA), and was targeted by Israel for his prominent role in the Second Palestinian Intifada, the uprising that took place between 2000 to 2005.
Barghouti's wife, Fadwa Al Barghouti, said in a social media post that she did not immediately recognize him.
'They are still, Marwan, pursuing you and following you even in the solitary confinement cell where you've been living for two years. The struggle against the occupation and its symbols with you continues, and the chains are still on your hands,' she said through a post on social media.
The reason Ben Gvir shared the video remains unclear. The far-right national security minister, known for his provocative remarks, has previously served a prison sentence for anti-Arab incitement, as per CNN.