Far-right Israeli minister posts video of confrontation with imprisoned Palestinian leader

Tel Aviv: Israel’s far-right national security minister has posted a video on social media that shows him admonishing an imprisoned Palestinian leader in a face-to-face meeting inside a prison, saying Israel will confront anyone who acts against the country and “wipe them out”.

The video surfaced as news broke of a reported Israeli plan to resettle Palestinians from war-torn Gaza in the troubled African nation of South Sudan. Three sources told Reuters that South Sudan and Israel were discussing such a move, which Palestinian leaders quickly dismissed as unacceptable.

Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted the video of his interaction with Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti on X on Friday night (Saturday AEST) but it is unclear when it was filmed. Ben-Gvir is known for staging provocative encounters with Palestinians.

Barghouti is serving five life sentences after being convicted of involvement in attacks at the height of the Palestinian uprising, or intifada, in the early 2000s. He was arrested more than two decades ago, and polls consistently show he is the most popular Palestinian leader – some Palestinians even see him as their Nelson Mandela.

In the video, Ben-Gvir is seen telling Barghouti that he will “not win”.

“Anyone who messes with the people of Israel, anyone who murders our children, anyone who murders our women, we will wipe them out,” Ben-Gvir says.

The 13-second video shows Barghouti, appearing older and more gaunt, standing in a white T-shirt, his hands at times crossed in front of him. He doesn’t seem to be shackled, and utters a few words as Ben-Gvir speaks, but they are inaudible. Images of Barghouti have not been seen in several years.

Ben-Gvir’s spokesman confirmed the visit and the video’s authenticity but denied the minister was threatening Barghouti.

The United Nations’ spokesperson called the video “disturbing”. Asked about it during a news conference on Friday, Stephane Dujarric said Barghouti “needs to have his rights fully respected, and his safety needs to be ensured”.

During the intifada, Barghouti, now in his mid-60s, was a senior leader in President Mahmoud Abbas’ secular Fatah movement. Many Palestinians see him as a natural successor to the ageing and unpopular leader of the Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Israel considers him a terrorist and has shown no sign it would release him in any prisoner exchanges. Hamas has demanded his release in return for hostages taken in the October 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war in the Gaza Strip.

In a Facebook post, Barghouti’s wife said she couldn’t recognise her husband, who appears frail in the video. Still, she said after watching the footage that he remains connected to the Palestinian people.

“Perhaps a part of me does not want to acknowledge everything that your face and body shows, and what you and the prisoners have been through,” wrote Fadwa Al Barghouthi, who spells their last name differently in English.

Israeli officials say they have reduced the conditions under which Palestinians are held to the bare minimum allowed under Israeli and international law. Many detainees released as part of ceasefire deals in Gaza earlier this year had appeared gaunt and ill, and some were taken for immediate medical treatment.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office and Israel’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on information about Israel’s reported talks with South Sudan about resettling Palestinians from Gaza.

The plan, if carried further, would envisage people moving from an enclave shattered by almost two years of war with Israel to a nation in the heart of Africa riven by years of political and ethnically driven violence.

A spokesperson for the United States State Department said, “We do not speak to private diplomatic conversations,” when asked about the plan and if the United States supported the idea.

Netanyahu said this month he intends to extend military control in Gaza, and this week repeated suggestions that Palestinians should leave the territory voluntarily.

AP, Reuters

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