Graffiti for the freedom of Marwan Barghouti, a jailed political activist from Fatah. (Flickr)
When Hamas demanded the release of Marwan Barghouti, many asked a simple question: why him? To understand the answer, one must understand Barghouti’s unique position in Palestinian political life — and why he is often described as the most popular leader of his generation.
A lifetime of political activism
Barghouti, a senior figure in Fatah, became politically active as a teenager. His early involvement in student movements in the West Bank and Gaza led to his first arrest in 1978. During his imprisonment, he learned Hebrew and completed his secondary schooling. After his release, he returned to the West Bank and pursued a degree in history and political science.
Role in the First Intifada
By 1987, Palestinian communities faced growing economic hardship and a rapid expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Tensions erupted into the First Intifada after an Israeli military truck collided with a Palestinian vehicle in Gaza’s Jabalya refugee camp, killing four workers.
Protests spread rapidly, and Barghouti emerged as a key organiser. He was arrested and later exiled to Jordan.
Throughout this period, Israel faced international criticism for the use of excessive force. Amnesty International documented cases of unlawful killings at demonstrations and checkpoints. Palestinians, for the most part, were unarmed, relying on mass civil protest that occasionally involved stone-throwing. The uprising lasted six years.
The Oslo years and rising influence
Barghouti returned to the West Bank in 1994 following the signing of the Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). The agreements recognised the PLO as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and acknowledged Israel’s right to exist. In theory, they were meant to establish a five-year interim framework leading to peace.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) was created to administer parts of the occupied territories. Barghouti rose quickly within Fatah, becoming its general secretary in 1998.
It was also during this period that many analysts began questioning the underlying logic of the Oslo framework. International law prioritises the rights of people, not the permanence of political structures. States gain legitimacy through protecting human rights, not through asserting metaphysical rights to exist.
This tension — between a process centred on state recognition and a reality defined by ongoing occupation — shaped Barghouti’s growing political influence.
The Second Intifada and imprisonment
As it became increasingly clear that Israel was not meeting key obligations under the Oslo framework, Barghouti advocated for both negotiations and popular resistance. When the Second Intifada erupted in 2000, he was viewed as one of the uprising’s central political figures.
Israel attempted to assassinate him and, in 2002, arrested him in Ramallah. An Israeli court later convicted him of involvement in attacks that killed 26 people and sentenced him to five consecutive life terms. Barghouti denied targeting civilians but expressed support for armed resistance against military occupation — a form of resistance recognised under international law.
Even behind bars, Barghouti’s influence only grew. He was elected to Fatah’s Central Committee in 2009 and, in 2017, led a mass 43-day hunger strike calling attention to the conditions of Palestinian prisoners.
October 7 and the present moment
Since 7 October, reports from human rights organisations indicate that Palestinian detainees — including Barghouti — have faced severe mistreatment. Despite this, his stature has not diminished. Instead, calls for his release have intensified, especially as Palestinian politics edge closer to potential elections.
Barghouti is widely expected to run for the presidency. Polls over the past decade consistently show him as the most popular political figure among Palestinians, viewed by many as capable of uniting a deeply fragmented political landscape.
Why his release matters
Hamas’s demand for Barghouti’s release reflects his symbolic and political weight. For many Palestinians, he represents a bridge between factions, generations and political visions.
For Israel, however, his popularity and legitimacy make him a strategic challenge.
Barghouti’s fate — whether he remains in prison or is released through negotiations — is now entangled with the broader struggle over Palestine’s political future.
Sõzarn Barday is a South African lawyer. She writes on human rights, international law, and political developments in the Middle East. The views expressed are her own