Member of the Palestinian parliament; 2005 presidential candidate; General Secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative; former Minister of Information under the first National Unity Government in Palestinian history; physician; social, political, human rights and peace activist; one of the most active grassroots leaders in Palestine; campaigner for the development of Palestinian civil society and grassroots democracy; outspoken advocate of internal reform; international spokesperson for the Palestinian cause; leading figure in the non-violent, peaceful struggle against the Occupation; and organizer of international solidarity presence in the Palestine, Mustafa Barghouthi has made an extraordinary contribution to initiatives to peacefully challenge the ongoing Israeli Occupation of Palestine and bring it to end, as well as efforts to build the institutional framework of Palestinian civil society and promote the principles of internal democracy and good governance.  He writes extensively for local and international audiences on civil society and democracy issues and the political situation in , as well as on health development policy in Palestine 

 

 

 Dr. Barghouthi ran in the presidential elections of January 2005 as a Palestinian National Initiative (PNI) candidate, on an anti-corruption and pro-democracy platform.  He achieved second place behind Mahmoud Abbas, with almost one third of total votes.

 

 He also headed the “Independent Palestine” Coalition that ran in legislative elections in January 2006, in which he secured a seat in the Palestinian parliament.  The Coalition consists of independents, business leaders, academics, writers, women, youth, labour movements, and the PNI, and draws primarily upon grassroots support.  Its platform seeks to provide a truly democratic and independent alternative to the large majority of silent and unrepresented Palestinian voters, who favour neither the autocracy and corruption of the previous governments, nor the fundamentalism of Hamas. 

 

Dr. Barghouthi was one of the only candidates to focus major attention on demanding an end to construction of ’s Apartheid Wall, and the dismantlement of existing sections.  He also strongly advocated at the highest levels for the right to campaign, and to hold elections following threats by the Israeli government to forbid elections from taking place in the divided city.

 

Following the results of legislative elections the situation reached a nadir, plunging the Palestinian people into one of the bleakest periods in the history of their struggle.  This post-election situation was characterised by a political and economic siege imposed by Israel and some members of the international community on the Hamas-led government, to the detriment of millions of ordinary Palestinians, and the outbreak of in-fighting between armed groups affiliated to the two main political parties, Fatah and Hamas, as the political vacuum at the governmental level translated into a power struggle on the Palestinian street.

 

During this time, Dr. Barghouthi played a critical role in mediating between the two main factions to secure the formation of a national unity government and to bring an end to internal fighting in which 490 Palestinians were killed and 2,726 injured in 2007.

 

As the representative of a movement respected for its genuine independence, Dr. Barghouthi was regarded as one of the actors that could play a constructive role in mediating a solution for internal peace after the conflict between Fatah and Hamas escalated to the point of internal violence, endangering the future of all Palestinians.  His role involved months of non-stop shuttle diplomacy between the European Union, and the Gaza Strip.  Ultimately, Dr. Barghouthi’s involvement in mediating what became the Mecca Agreement provided a peaceful way out of the crisis, and led to renewed dialogue towards the formation of the first national unity government in Palestinian history, in which he served as Minister of Information.  It also led directly to achieving the first mutual, reciprocal ceasefire which was implemented in November 2006.

 

This role saw Dr. Barghouthi’s participation in high-level, internal dialogue and in advocating for diplomatic actions at the international level to end the siege on the Palestinian people.  Yet at the same time, he has retained his well-deserved image as “a man of the people”, as one of the leading figures of Palestinian civil society, and as one of the most vocal advocates of the non-violence movement in .  In practice, this has taken the form of support for peaceful demonstrations calling for the immediate formation of a national unity government for the good of the Palestinian people; continued participation in non-violent, popular protests against construction of Israel’s Apartheid Wall together with Israeli and international supporters, part of more than 20 years of advocacy for non-violence; and bringing the voices of ordinary Palestinians and of Palestinian civil society to decision-making spheres both nationally and internationally.