Mustafa Barghouti: Former Presidential Candidate Criticizes Abbas' Authority and Faces Death Threats

Mustafa Barghouti, one of the most active popular leaders in Palestine, has become the target of an intense smear campaign, which many attribute to dissatisfaction within the Fatah movement and its executive tool, the Palestinian Authority, with his actions and performance.

The Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative faces a wide-reaching incitement campaign in the West Bank since the beginning of 2025, driven by his critical media stance against Mahmoud Abbas' authority.

What’s the Story?

At the start of the year, a wave of incitement targeted Barghouti, fueled by fake social media accounts spreading threats and lies. These accounts unleashed offensive attacks, issued death threats, and called for his silence, demanding he stay out of the media spotlight.

The statement was signed by the Fatah Movement, though the group denied any involvement. However, many have linked the campaign to Barghouti's recent criticism of the Palestinian Authority's “military operation” against the Resistance in Jenin camp in the northern West Bank and his refusal to close Al-Jazeera office in Ramallah.

In an interview with the channel on January 3, Barghouti stated that no Palestinian today would accept the denial of electricity and water to Jenin camp, which has been under siege for 25 days.

The solution, according to him, should not be military or security-based, and that resistance is a legitimate right for any people under occupation—a stance opposed by the Palestinian Authority, which prefers security coordination with “Israel.”

“I’m stunned by the sheer scale of reckless insults, incitement, and demonization [from accounts linked to the Authority’s security] on social media. It’s all aimed at fueling internal conflict.”

“I’m sure there are officers following the Israeli Occupation who infiltrate groups [on social media] and fuel division within the Palestinian people,” Barghouti added.

“The current situation in Jenin, the actions against Al-Jazeera, and the internal incitement all stem from the absence of unified national leadership.”

Earlier in January, Barghouti stated that the Palestinian Authority’s decision to suspend Al-Jazeera’s broadcast (claiming it violated laws after its coverage of the campaign against Jenin) was wrong and not even beneficial to those who made it.

He pointed out that “the station, through all its channels, has done more than enough to cover the Palestinian people's struggle and their heroic resistance, exposing the brutal crimes of the Israeli Occupation.”

The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) linked the smear campaign against Barghouti to his “national unity stances, support for resistance, and his rejection of pursuing it in Jenin.”

In a statement, Hamas said that the incitement and threats against Barghouti “are an escalation in targeting national unity and a continuation of the political exclusionary approach, coming in light of his national positions.”

On January 5, the Palestinian National Initiative (PNI) warned against harming its Secretary-General, noting that the statement included serious threats of physical harm along with attempts to silence his voice.

“The suspicious statement, along with the subsequent threats and false propaganda, does not only represent a blatant and dangerous attack on freedom of speech, expression, and social peace, but also reflects a dubious collaboration with the Israeli Occupation in its brutal war against the Palestinian people's right to freedom, struggle, and resistance, seeking to suppress every free Palestinian voice.”

PNI called on the Authority and its security agencies to uphold the rule of law and pursue and punish those responsible for issuing this dangerous statement, along with all incitement and smear statements that promote division and threaten national unity and Palestinian social peace.

Who Is He?

Mustafa Barghouti was born in “Jerusalem” in 1954. His family hails from the town of Deir Ghassana, north of Ramallah, but he currently resides in al-Bireh.

He holds a Bachelor's degree in Medicine, a higher degree in Philosophy from Moscow, and a Master's in Administration and System Building from Stanford University in the United States.

In 1979, he co-founded the first voluntary health resistance movement, “Palestinian Medical Relief Society,” aiming to establish an independent Palestinian health system, free from the Israeli Occupation's control. Hundreds of workers have joined, serving hundreds of thousands of Palestinians annually.

Barghouti was among the first figures to join the Palestinian People's Party (formerly the Communist Party), though he later resigned.

In 1991, he participated in the leadership committee of the Madrid peace negotiations led by Palestinian politician Haider Abdel Shafi and became a member.

However, he resigned in April 1993 in protest against the negotiation approach that led to the Oslo Accords and the continued settlement expansion.

In 1996, he was shot by the Israeli Occupation forces and was arrested in 2002, with “Israel” later banning him from entering “Jerusalem.”

He ran in the 1996 Legislative Council elections and was elected for the Ramallah district, but he gave up his seat to a Christian candidate in adherence to the quota system.

On June 17, 2002, Barghouti founded the Palestinian National Initiative in the West Bank, alongside notable figures like Haider Abdel Shafi in Gaza, Ibrahim al-Daqqaq in “Jerusalem,” and the late thinker Edward Said.

This initiative, led by Barghouti as its Secretary-General, is a political and social movement “aimed at achieving justice for citizens by combating poverty and unemployment, enforcing respect for independent Palestinian decisions, and working for a just peace.”

As a representative of the initiative, Barghouti ran for the presidency in January 2005, competing against Mahmoud Abbas. He came in second, receiving 19% of the vote.

In the following year, he was elected to the Legislative Council, where he led the Independent Palestine coalition, a bloc composed of independents, business leaders, academics, writers, and labor movements, primarily relying on public support.

When the National Unity Government was formed in 2007, led by Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Barghouti was appointed Minister of Information, until Abbas dismissed the government in June of the same year.

Since then, Barghouti has played a pivotal role in facilitating internal political negotiations surrounding unity agreements between Fatah and Hamas.

Starting in 2015, he became a member of the PLO Central Council and the Legislative Council, which was dissolved by Abbas at the end of 2018.

In October 2015, Barghouti survived an assassination attempt, when unknown assailants tried to stab him in the neck. He accused “Israel” and its collaborators of attempting to assassinate him.

Barghouti is fluent in English and has received several global awards, including the World Health Organization Award in 2002 and the Palestinian Human Rights Advocacy Award from the Anti-Racism Struggle Organization. He was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010.

His Approach and Stance

In general, Barghouti advocates for popular resistance as a means of liberation, but he does not criminalize armed resistance, believing that the Palestinian people have the right to resist the Israeli occupation by all means.

Throughout his political career, Barghouti never had major issues with the Palestinian Authority, but these tensions have recently surfaced due to his continuous media appearances, which have highlighted his evolving stance on resistance to the Israeli Occupation.

Since the start of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, Barghouti has effectively become the international spokesperson for the Palestinian cause. He avoided condemning Operation al-Aqsa Flood, describing it as a natural outcome of the Israeli Occupation's war crimes.

This is in contrast to the Palestinian Authority, which demonized the operation, with President Mahmoud Abbas accusing Hamas of “providing pretexts” for the Israeli Occupation to attack Gaza, claiming that the actions of the Islamic movement “do not represent the Palestinian people.”

Barghouti's evolving rhetoric, without directly calling for armed resistance, marks a shift as he is known for his leadership in nonviolent popular resistance against the Israeli Occupation.

He has made exceptional contributions to initiatives aimed at peacefully challenging and ending “Israel’s” ongoing occupation of Palestine. He has also worked on building the institutional framework of Palestinian civil society and promoting the principles of internal democracy and good governance.

The Palestinian leader writes extensively for both local and international audiences on civil society issues, democracy, and the political situation in Palestine.

Barghouti has been a leading voice in the fight to halt the construction of “Israel's separation wall,” demanding the dismantling of its existing sections. He has also led international solidarity campaigns and efforts to impose sanctions on “Israel.”

He participated in the campaign to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza through aid ships and was actively involved in founding and supporting the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against “Israel.”

Locally, he has strongly defended the right to hold elections, which President Abbas has blocked, stating that elections are “a right of the Palestinian people and a path to reconciliation and ending the separation between Gaza and the West Bank.”

Barghouti argued that Abbas's cancellation of the elections scheduled for May 2023, due to “Israel’s refusal to allow them in Jerusalem, was nothing but an excuse,” and that holding the elections there was possible despite the Israeli veto.

As a representative of a movement respected for its true independence, Barghouti was one of the key figures who played a constructive role in mediating a solution for internal peace after the rising division between Fatah and Hamas escalated to internal violence.

His role included months of continuous shuttle diplomacy between the European Union and Gaza, though his efforts were not fully successful in ending the division.