More than 200 leading cultural figures have come together to call for the release of jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, who is seen as bringing the best hope to the stalled mission to unite factions and create a Palestinian state.
The distinguished and diverse group demanding his release in an open letter includes many prominent names, including authors Margaret Atwood, Philip Pullman, Zadie Smith and Annie Ernaux; actors Sir Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Josh O’Connor and Mark Ruffalo, and broadcaster and former footballer Gary Lineker.
It also includes musicians Sting, Paul Simon, Brian Eno and Annie Lennox, as well as actor and presenter Stephen Fry and British cookery writer and presenter Delia Smith. Others on the list are director Sir Richard Eyre, artist Ai Weiwei and billionaire entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson.
Barghouti, 66, has spent 23 years in prison after a trial that was flawed by legal experts. An elected MP at the time of his arrest, he remains the most popular Palestinian leader, and consistently tops polls as the people’s choice for leadership.
Israel’s continued refusal to release him, including most recently in a prisoner swap following the October ceasefire in the Gaza war, does not appear to be linked to any intelligence assessment that he would pose a threat to Israel’s security, but instead to the influence he could wield in building unity and accelerating a two-state solution.
There are also concerns that the Israeli government is poised to pass new laws that would allow Israel to impose the death penalty on Palestinian prisoners, a law that could also include Barghouti.
The recent passage of a UN resolution endorsing Washington’s call for the establishment of an international stabilization force inside Gaza has not drawn a flood of countries willing to provide troops, partly because they fear the force would become embroiled in a conflict with Hamas over neutralizing its weapons, a prerequisite for Israel to leave the strip.
Most major Palestinian human rights groups have also rejected the UN resolution, saying Barghouti would have to do something if released.
The campaign to release Barghouti deliberately echoes the cultural movement that was central to Nelson Mandela winning independence and ending apartheid in South Africa. Mandela himself said in 2002: “What’s happening to Barghouti is what happened to me.”
British musician Brian Eno said: “History shows us that cultural voices can change the course of politics. Just as global solidarity helped free Nelson Mandela, we all have the power to hasten the day when Marwan Barghouti is free. His release will mark a turning point in this long struggle and will bring much-needed hope to us all.”
British-Palestinian novelist and lawyer Selma Dabbagh said: “Marwan Barghouti’s trial was widely recognized as a sham. The body representing parliaments around the world – the Inter-Parliamentary Union – conducted its own assessment and concluded that it was deeply flawed. Marwan’s release would be an important step in allowing the Palestinians to determine their own leadership, whatever shape.”
The full statement reads: “We express our grave concern over the continued imprisonment of Marwan Barghouti, his violent mistreatment and denial of legal rights during his captivity. We call on the United Nations and the world’s governments to actively demand the release of Marwan Barghouti from Israeli prison.”
Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is likely to oppose his release unless there is strong pressure from the US. Donald Trump this week invited Netanyahu to the White House in the “near future,” a visit that, if it happens, would be the Israeli leader’s fifth visit since Trump returned to office in January.
<a href