Latest news with #IsraeliPrison
The National
2 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Who is Marwan Barghouti, known as 'Palestine's Mandela'?
Marwan Barghouti is the most senior Palestinian leader in jail – and the most popular. He is often described in local press and by supporters as the Palestinian Nelson Mandela. On Friday, he appeared in a video for the first time in many years as Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir threatened him inside his cell. The undated video shows the far-right minister entering the solitary confinement section of an Israeli prison, confronting a visibly frail Barghouti, who is dressed in a plain white T-shirt. Surrounded by guards and cameras, he says: 'You will not defeat us. Whoever targets the people of Israel and kills our sons and women will be erased. You must know this.' Barghouti was born in the village of Kobar, Ramallah, on June 6, 1959. That year was also the birth of Fatah, the Palestinian national liberation organisation, which Barghouti joined in 1974. He was sentenced to jail for the first time in 1978, spending four years in prison for membership in an armed group. In prison, he learnt English and Hebrew, finished his schooling and, upon his release in 1983, enrolled in Birzeit University to study history and political science. At Birzeit, he met lawyer Fadwa Ibrahim, whom he married in 1984. The foundations of Barghouti's political credibility within Fatah and the wider Palestinian community were laid three years later, when he rose to prominence as a leader during the 1987 uprising that became known as the First Intifada. Though the Palestinian revolt against Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza would drag on for five more years, Barghouti's role was ended in 1987, when he was exiled to Jordan. It was seven years before he was able to return, in 1994, under the terms of the Oslo Accords signed the previous year between the Palestine Liberation Organisation and Israel. Two years later, he was elected to the new Palestinian Legislative Council. As leader of the Tanzim, Fatah's armed wing, Barghouti played a prominent role during the Second Intifada, which exploded in September 2000 in the wake of the collapse of the Middle East Peace Summit at Camp David. Barghouti became a wanted man. In January 2002, he staked his claim as a force to be reckoned with in Palestinian politics with an opinion piece written for The Washington Post. Only three months later, Barghouti was tracked down and arrested. In May 2004, he was convicted of five murders and received five life sentences. He denies the charges. 'Palestine's Nelson Mandela'? Mr Barghouti is said to be an avid reader, consuming histories and biographies, including that of Nelson Mandela by the British author Anthony Sampson. In 2013, the campaign for Barghouti's release, backed by eight Nobel Peace laureates, would be launched from Mandela's old cell on Robben Island in South Africa. In 2009, Foreign Policy magazine took up the theme, highlighting 'a growing acknowledgement among Israelis and Palestinians that Barghouti's broad appeal and reformist streak offer the best prospects for peace'. This, some observers have suggested, is the subtext behind the hunger strike in 2017 by more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, ordered by Barghouti. While in prison, Barghouti released a 255-page book, written secretly behind bars and smuggled out via lawyers and family members, detailing his experience in jail. Barghouti was seen as influential enough to be considered a viable successor to Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian President. Mr Abbas is now 88, and is widely seen as an unpopular leader who is unlikely to still be leading the Palestinian Authority in any political settlement. A poll by the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research of more than 1,200 people in the occupied West Bank and Gaza in 2023 found Barghouti would surpass Mr Abbas in a presidential race. Barghouti received nearly half of the total vote, followed by Mr Haniyeh. Asked who they would prefer as a successor to Mr Abbas, the largest proportion of participants in the poll, 36 per cent, opted for Barghouti.
The National
2 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Marwan Barghouti seen in rare video as Israeli minister Ben Gvir threatens him in prison cell
Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti appeared in a video for the first time in many years as Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir threatened him inside his cell. The undated video shows the far-right minister entering the solitary confinement section of an Israeli prison, confronting a visibly frail Barghouti who is dressed in a plain white T-shirt. Surrounded by guards and cameras, he says: 'You will not defeat us. Whoever targets the people of Israel and kills our sons and women will be erased. You must know this.' The short video has provoked outrage. Hussein Al Sheikh, Vice President of Palestine and deputy head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation's Executive Committee, called the incident 'the height of psychological, moral and physical terrorism' against Palestinian prisoners and a breach of international conventions. Mr Al Sheikh said the move reflected 'unprecedented recklessness' in Israel's treatment of detainees and called for urgent intervention by international organisations to protect them. Mr Barghouti's wife, Fadwa, said she barely recognised her husband. 'I didn't recognise you or your features, but you remain free despite everything," she wrote on Facebook. Mr Barghouti's appearance has shocked supporters, as he appears markedly older and frail. The video emerged amid Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks, which in past iterations have included the possible release of Barghouti, the most senior and popular Palestinian prisoner, referred to by supporters as the 'Palestinian Nelson Mandela". Mr Barghouti was active in confronting the Israeli occupation from a young age, joining Fatah at the age of 15. He was deported by Israel in 1987 and only allowed to return to Palestine in 1993 after the Oslo Accords. As head of Tanzim, Fatah's armed wing, he played a prominent role in the Second Intifada, which began in 2000. He became one of Israel's most wanted men, and in 2002 he was arrested. In May 2004, Mr Barghouti was convicted of five murders and sentenced to five life terms, charges he has consistently denied. He has been active from prison, calling for Palestinian unity. He speaks Hebrew and has often called for dialogue to end the occupation of Palestine.
The National
2 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Marwan Barghouti seen in rare footage as Israel's Ben Gvir storms cell to threaten him
Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti appeared in a video for the first time in many years as Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir threatened him inside his cell. The undated footage shows the far-right minister storming the solitary confinement section of an Israeli prison, confronting a visibly frail Barghouti dressed in a plain white T-shirt. Surrounded by guards and cameras, the Israeli official says, 'You will not defeat us. Whoever targets the people of Israel and kills our sons and women will be erased. You must know this.' The video has provoked outrage. Hussein Al Sheikh, Vice President of Palestine and deputy head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation's Executive Committee, called the incident 'the height of psychological, moral, and physical terrorism' against Palestinian prisoners and a violation of international conventions. Mr Al Sheikh said the move reflected 'unprecedented recklessness' in Israel's treatment of detainees and urged urgent intervention by international organisations to protect them. Mr Barghouti's wife, Fadwa, said she barely recognised her husband. 'I didn't recognise you or your features, but you remain free despite everything," she wrote on Facebook. The footage surfaced amid Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks, which in past iterations have included the possible release of Marwan Barghouti, the most senior and popular Palestinian prisoner, often dubbed the 'Palestinian Nelson Mandela". As head of the Tanzim, Fatah's armed wing, he played a prominent role in the Second Intifada, which erupted in 2000. He became one of Israel's most wanted men, and in 2002 he was arrested. In May 2004, he was convicted of five murders and sentenced to five life terms, charges he has consistently denied.
The National
09-05-2025
- The National
Trauma of a teenage prisoner: Ahmad Manasra's ordeal goes on despite release from Israeli jail
Arrested aged 13 and held in an Israeli prison for nearly a decade, Ahmad Manasra's ordeal did not end with his release a month ago. First, the young Palestinian's family waited for hours at the main gate of Al Nafha Prison, only to find authorities had deposited him about 50 kilometres away in Beersheba. 'Eventually, someone did find him and help him," Mr Manasra's lawyer since 2021, Khaled Zabarka, told The National. "He called his parents because he had his father's number memorised and they came to him. Otherwise, a disaster might have happened." Next, after picking him up, Mr Manasra's family received a phone call from Maskubiyeh police station in Jerusalem, asking he be brought back for questioning, 'part of the constant pursuit of Ahmad", Mr Zabarka said. Mr Manasra now experiences severe psychological issues after years of isolation, his lawyers told The National. In 2015, he was arrested after entering East Jerusalem with his cousin Hassan, 15, while carrying knives. Hassan was shot dead by police after he stabbed an Israeli man and critically wounded a 13-year-old Israeli boy. Ahmad was convicted of attempted murder and served nine and a half years in prison. Moaad Abu Irsheid, another lawyer for Mr Manasra, was present for the round of questioning after his release. He said it was an attempt by Israeli authorities to 'reopen wounds'. Conditions were put on his release, such as "no hosting celebrations, forming crowds, or raising flags, and being on house arrest until Sunday, and now he's with his parents', Mr Abu Irsheid said. 'He was nervous, and so were his family, and the fact that he was called in for questioning after nine and a half years of being in prison is not normal. He finished his sentence, why would they call him back? I don't find that normal or lawful.' The lawyer explained that although the police have the authority to call anyone in for questioning, they did so without any precedent or suspected crime. And if Mr Manasra refused to co-operate with the questioning or to abide by the set conditions, he would have spent another night in prison and faced court. 'He was scared. He told me he wanted to go home, to go to his bed, and that he misses freedom. He doesn't exactly understand it well, either, because he's not in good shape mentally." Since the start of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023, about 10,000 Palestinians have been taken into Israeli custody. Some are unable to reach their families or have any outside contact without their lawyers. After Mr Manasra was detained in 2015, he was investigated by Israeli authorities and was sent to prison a year later, still a juvenile. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined 180,000 shekels ($47,900) as his case was classified as "terrorism" by the Israeli Supreme Court. However, the sentence was reduced to nine and a half years in 2017. Mr Zabarka attempted to reduce Mr Manasra's prison sentence again in 2021 but was unsuccessful. 'We had a lot of hope they would [comply] because he entered prison as a 13-year-old child, and we thought, a child that was in seventh grade … they must reduce his sentence by a third and treat him legally how they would treat minors, as per juvenile law,' Mr Zabarka said. Under an amendment to Israel's terrorism laws in 2019, it became obligatory to prohibit anyone involved in national security violations from a reduction of a third of their sentence. But under juvenile law the authorities "should have rehabilitated him instead of punishing him', Mr Zabarka added. As a last resort, Mr Zabarka addressed the case to the supreme court but the appeal was rejected again. While Israel's juvenile law is aimed at protecting minors, Mr Manasra was the exception, which led to his 'health relapse', said Mr Zabarka. Banned from contacting his family and having no support system for so long have adversely affected his mental health. 'He was going through all these tough situations with the mindset of a child. How much can a child handle? It is impossible for a child to handle this.' Mr Manasra's psychological problems were heavily influenced and exacerbated by the period he spent in solitary confinement, his lawyers said. When Mr Zabarka's attempt at reducing the prison sentence failed, he tried to reason with Israeli authorities on keeping Mr Manasra away from solitary confinement to salvage his mental state. 'We were against it, but [the prison authorities] said they were putting him there on the pretext that he was mentally ill to protect him from himself and protect other detainees from him,' Mr Zabarka said. Mr Manasra's family requested he be put in a room with other Palestinian prisoners who would be 'ready to take care of him and protect him', and provided reports from mental health specialists that said solitary confinement would 'exacerbate his psychological condition and make his illness more difficult to deal with', said Mr Zabarka. Yet their requests were denied again. 'A mentally ill person, especially a child, should be put in a place where there is social support, he needs social warmth and medication. But their aim was to torture him even more.' When Mr Zabarka visited his client in prison at one of his all-time lows, Mr Manasra expressed thoughts of ending his life and the lack of purpose he feels. 'Putting a prisoner in solitary confinement is one of the methods of torture prohibited by law,' said Mr Zabarka. "This is a protocol of torture and a practice of torture on Ahmad Manasra. He has been exposed to torture from the moment he was detained until he was freed from prison."
