Israeli minister from the far-right faction pays provocative visit to incarcerated Palestinian leader in a penal institution
In a highly controversial move, Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir confronted Marwan Barghouti, a leading member of the Palestinian Fatah party, in his prison cell on an undisclosed date in August 2025. The incident was filmed and shared widely on social media by Ben Gvir himself.
Barghouti, who has spent more than 20 years in Israeli custody after being sentenced for his role in anti-Israeli attacks in the early 2000s, was arrested in 2002 and sentenced to life in 2004 on murder charges. He often tops opinion polls of popular Palestinian leaders.
The video shows Ben Gvir, two other individuals, and a prison guard surrounding Barghouti in a corner of his cell. Ben Gvir threatens Barghouti, saying, "You will not defeat us. Whoever harms the people of Israel, whoever kills children, whoever kills women... we will erase them." Barghouti tries to respond but is interrupted by Ben Gvir.
The international reaction was swift and strong, particularly from the Palestinian Authority, which described the confrontation as an "unprecedented provocation." Critics highlighted that the scene echoed broader patterns of Israeli actions towards Palestinians marked by humiliation and violence, and raised concern over Barghouti’s wellbeing, with his lawyer stating that Ben Gvir directly threatened him and that his life might be in danger.
Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas's political bureau, expressed solidarity with Barghouti, while the Palestinian Authority's foreign ministry denounced the confrontation. Some senior officials in the Palestinian Authority reportedly did not like what Ben Gvir said to Barghouti.
In a statement, the Palestinian mission to the United Nations said Barghouti is enduring harsh humanitarian conditions, having lost more than half his weight due to deliberate medical neglect and mistreatment. The event drew attention to the political theater surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the global dynamics that some observers say enable such acts of humiliation as part of sustained power disparities.
Ben Gvir posted the video on Friday morning and said in the caption that he would repeat his threat against anyone who harms Israelis without apology. This confrontation was widely viewed as a deliberate act of political intimidation and symbolic humiliation, eliciting significant criticism internationally and intensifying tensions within the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Politics and general news outlets worldwide condemned the incident, citing it as a crime-and-justice issue and a serious violation of war-and-conflicts etiquette. The international opinion on the confrontation was overwhelmingly critical, viewing it as a threat to peace efforts and a provocative act in the ongoing Israel-Palestinian conflict.
