By Omar Abdel-Baqui

Marwan Barghouti, a long-imprisoned and popular Palestinian leader, hadn't been seen publicly in years. Barghouti, who was convicted by Israel of murder and membership in a terrorist organization more than two decades ago, appeared in a video this week in an unusual interaction with a far-right cabinet minister.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir released a video that showed him confronting Barghouti in a prison cell with threatening language during a visit that otherwise wasn't explained.

"You won't win," Ben-Gvir says to Barghouti, who looks thin and haggard. "Whoever messes with the people of Israel, whoever murders our children, whoever murders our women, we will wipe him out."

Barghouti is serving five life sentences. Israeli prosecutors alleged that he directed militants to commit violence targeting Israelis during the Palestinian uprising known as the Second Intifada in the early 2000s. Barghouti refused to enter a plea, arguing the Israeli court was illegitimate.

Many Palestinians see Barghouti, who was an adviser to the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, as a political prisoner and compare him to Nelson Mandela. He is the only Palestinian leader with widespread support in Gaza and the West Bank, and his face and name are spray-painted across the occupied territories.

Ben-Gvir's move to confront Barghouti and release the footage appeared aimed at sending a signal and is the latest provocative step from far-right ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

In the video, Barghouti nods along as the cabinet minister threatens retaliation, but the 13-second clip cuts out before Barghouti can say much in response.

The Israel Prison Service and Ben-Gvir's office didn't respond to requests for comment on the reason for the visit or Barghouti's treatment. Israel has said it treats detainees in accordance with international law and that violent treatment of prisoners is prohibited.

A group representing Palestinian prisoners called the comments a threat that deepened concerns about Barghouti's fate. The Palestinian mission to the United Nations said Ben-Gvir used "abusive language and racist, fascistic hate" and said international law prohibits such behavior when dealing with detainees.

"It is a threat to all Palestinians," Barghouti's brother, Moqbel Barghouti, said of Ben-Gvir's comments. "If they resist the occupation, they will be wiped out."

Moqbel Barghouti said that Ben-Gvir's video was the first time the family had seen his face since Israel tightened access to Palestinian detainees following the deadly Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attacks.

Prison visits with Barghouti, who is in his mid-60s, have been limited to his attorney every few months, Moqbel said. His family and a West Bank group campaigning for his release said he had been beaten several times by prison guards since 2023.

Netanyahu's government is stepping up moves against Palestinian statehood as international pressure grows over the human toll of the war in Gaza. On Thursday, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israel will move ahead with a controversial settlement expansion near East Jerusalem that he said "finally buries the idea of a Palestinian state."

Countries including France, the U.K. and Australia have said in recent weeks they will recognize a Palestinian state by September, seeking to pressure Israel to ease dire humanitarian conditions and drop plans to expand the war.

Western countries including the U.K. and Canada have imposed sanctions on Ben-Gvir for his alleged incitement of violence against Palestinians. He and Smotrich, who has been named in the same sanctions, hold significant sway in Netanyahu's government.

Following criticism of the visit, Ben-Gvir on Friday morning reposted the video of him lecturing Barghouti, calling him an "arch-terrorist" and saying "may his name be erased."

Hamas has repeatedly demanded Barghouti's release in hostages-for-prisoners swaps with Israel, according to Arab mediators in the talks, despite his affiliation with Fatah, a bitter political rival. Israel has always rejected those demands. Freeing Barghouti would represent a significant win for Hamas.

"Marwan Barghouti remains the most popular Palestinian leader," according to a May survey from the West Bank-based Palestinian Center for Survey and Policy Research, which showed Barghouti winning a plurality of votes if presidential elections were held.

Write to Omar Abdel-Baqui at omar.abdel-baqui@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 15, 2025 17:40 ET (21:40 GMT)

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