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Video of Ben-Gvir Taunting Barghouti in Prison Draws Diplomatic Condemnation

Authenticated footage released by the national security minister alarmed Barghouti’s family, prompting the Palestinian Authority to seek ICRC review of his detention conditions.

Israeli National Security Minister and head of Jewish Power party Itamar Ben-Gvir gives a statement to members of the press, ahead of a possible ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, January 16, 2025. REUTERS/Oren Ben Hakoon/File Photo
FILE - In this Jan. 25, 2012, file photo, senior Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti appears at Jerusalem's court. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)
Marwan Barghouti was jailed in 2002 for ordering attacks on Israelis during the second intifada
The encounter between the two took place earlier this week at the jail where Marwan Barghouti is being held.

Overview

  • The national security minister’s office confirmed that Ben-Gvir visited Barghouti in Ganot Prison earlier this week and authenticated the released footage.
  • In the 13-second clip, Ben-Gvir tells the frail detainee that anyone who ‘messes with the people of Israel’ will ‘be wiped out.’
  • Relatives and prisoner groups decried Barghouti’s gaunt appearance as evidence of extended solitary confinement and possible mistreatment, charges the Israel Prisons Service rejects.
  • The Palestinian Authority denounced the encounter as “organized state terrorism” and said it will pursue International Committee of the Red Cross intervention and wider international action.
  • Human rights advocates and diplomats are now intensifying scrutiny of far-right cabinet members’ use of prison visits as political provocation and the broader treatment of Palestinian detainees in the war context.