In a move that has sparked widespread outrage, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir this week visited the Hadarim Prison where prominent Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti has been held since 2002, serving five life sentences.
The visit, widely covered by the Israeli media, appeared to be as much a political message to the Israeli public as a provocation against the prisoners and their families, underscoring the agenda of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government.
Analysts said Ben-Gvir’s incursion into the prison was not an isolated event but a deliberate political statement signalling to Palestinians and the international community that Israel’s current government is willing to violate international law to gain domestic popularity, even at the expense of prisoners’ dignity and rights.
According to sources from the Palestinian Prisoners’ Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, Ben-Gvir entered the section housing Barghouti accompanied by a special police unit known as Yamaz and was filmed issuing strict security instructions.
Sources said the minister made a point of ordering harsher detention conditions in what was described as a “show of force aimed at humiliating prisoners and their symbolic leaders.”
Prisoner organisations said the visit carried political motives, with Ben-Gvir, known for his extremist rhetoric, seeking to boost his image among Israeli settlers and the ultra-Orthodox right by targeting a figure of Barghouti’s stature, a Palestinian national symbol of resistance and resilience.
Barghouti’s wife, lawyer Fadwa Barghouti, described the visit as part of a “revenge policy aimed at undermining the will and resilience of prisoners.”
“What happened amounts to a political and moral crime. The extremist minister is attempting to use Marwan’s name as an electoral tool to strengthen his position in Israeli politics. Marwan does not face the occupation alone; he represents an entire people striving for freedom and independence. The raid on his cell is an assault on all Palestinians and on international laws that protect prisoners,” she said.
Prisoner organisations, including the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Affairs Commission, issued statements holding Ben-Gvir fully responsible for the prisoners’ lives and safety.
Former Palestinian Authority (PA) minister for prisoner affairs Issa Qaraqe told Al-Ahram Weekly that the incursion and threats are part of a broader Israeli escalation and bloody campaign against the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
He added that such acts reflect the Israeli occupation’s failure to break the Palestinian people’s resolve and right to freedom and self-determination, driving it to commit cowardly retaliatory crimes against unarmed prisoners who are symbols of national dignity and unity.
Qaraqe, a respected figure among prisoners and himself close to Barghouti, warned that the occupation’s prisons are witnessing medical neglect, torture, solitary confinement, starvation, humiliation, the denial of basic rights, and brutal assaults.
He cautioned that the threats have escalated to threats of killing, raising fears of potential massacres under the cover of political and media incitement by Israeli government ministers.
Abdullah Al-Zaghari, head of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, said the filmed threats by Ben-Gvir against Barghouti constitute a clear declaration of Israel’s intent to assassinate detained leaders amid unprecedented abuses since the onset of the war on Gaza.
Al-Zaghari said Barghouti and dozens of other imprisoned leaders were subjected to harsh and tragic conditions, including starvation, the denial of medical care, and systematic assaults, including beatings during crackdowns carried out by heavily armed special units.
Repeated attacks have left prisoners with varying injuries, while the prison administration continues to obstruct visits and transfer detainees under violent conditions.
Qaraqe emphasised that under international humanitarian law, Palestinian prisoners held in the context of armed conflict are considered “prisoners of war” and are entitled to the protections outlined in the Four Geneva Conventions, particularly Article 13 of the Third Convention, which mandates humane treatment and forbids any assault on their lives or dignity.
He said Ben-Gvir and the Israeli government’s psychological and physical harassment of prisoners constitutes a clear breach of these conventions. International organisations, including the Human Rights Watch, have documented similar violations such as visitation bans, solitary confinement, retaliatory measures, death threats, and torture and have called for immediate international action to protect prisoners.
Although international bodies have condemned the incursion, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Qaraqe stressed that statements alone are insufficient given the ongoing torture, killings, and oppression of Palestinian prisoners. He called for urgent international protection and investigations into crimes committed in Israeli prisons, particularly amid increasing reports of slow killings and torture.
Inside Israel, Ben-Gvir’s raid also drew criticism, with some Hebrew-language newspapers calling it a “political stunt” aimed at boosting his presence on the far-right scene amid growing government divisions.
Israeli opposition circles described the incursion as “reckless,” warning it could ignite unrest in prisons and trigger uncontrollable protests. Even some former security officials cautioned against “playing with fire,” noting that targeting symbolic leaders like Barghouti could have far-reaching political and security consequences.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 21 August, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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