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A global campaign calling for the release of Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti is gaining international traction, with activists, civil society groups, and public figures intensifying efforts as negotiations surrounding the current Gaza cease-fire continue.
The Guardian reported that many view him as a hopeful candidate to lead a future Palestinian state, as negotiations linked to the current Gaza ceasefire continue.
The British newspaper noted that international momentum is growing in support of Barghouti’s release.
Considered one of the most prominent and popular Palestinian leaders, he is seen by a large segment of Palestinians as a symbol of hope and a potential path toward renewing political legitimacy in the occupied territories.
Barghouti’s family, supported by civil society organizations in the United Kingdom, is leading a new campaign aimed at placing his case at the forefront of the political and diplomatic discussions that will follow the current cease-fire phase.
The campaign has already begun gaining visual and media presence, with murals bearing the slogan “Free Marwan” appearing on the streets of London, alongside a large art installation in the village of Kobar near Ramallah, Barghouti’s hometown. Political and cultural figures have also started preparing a public letter calling for his release.
Successive opinion polls reflect Barghouti’s standing, as he consistently emerges as the most popular political figure in both the West Bank and Gaza.
This reinforces the belief among many that he is the strongest candidate to lead a new political phase should he be released.
The newspaper noted that Barghouti has been imprisoned for more than 20 years following a trial that sentenced him to five life terms and an additional 40 years—a trial the Inter-Parliamentary Union described as deeply flawed.
Israel has refused to include him in recent prisoner-exchange deals, a decision the paper says reflects the sensitivity of his case within Israel’s domestic political calculations.
According to the newspaper, Barghouti has in recent years been subjected to solitary confinement and to abuses that included four physical assaults since 2023.
He has also been barred from family visits for three years, while his lawyers were allowed to see him only five times over two years, amid the continued obstruction of International Red Cross access to him.
Barghouti is regarded as one of the most prominent advocates of the two-state solution within Fatah.
However, Tel Aviv fears, according to the newspaper, that releasing him could enable him to unify the Palestinians and restore confidence in Palestinian political institutions, whose standing has eroded during Mahmoud Abbas’s long and contentious tenure.
The Guardian concluded that Barghouti’s case is shifting from that of a prominent Palestinian prisoner to a global political symbol reflecting the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the impasse facing the political process.
With mounting international pressure and growing public mobilization, the post-cease-fire period may see Marwan Barghouti’s case brought back to the table as a factor capable of shaping the contours of the Palestinian political future, according to the newspaper.
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