The head of the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs on Wednesday accused Israel of attempting to assassinate imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti and called for urgent international and regional intervention to protect him.
In a statement, Raed Abu Al Hims said Barghouti had been subjected to "a series of brutal assaults aimed at eliminating and assassinating him," adding that the latest incident involved Israeli prison guards firing rubber bullets at him after storming his cell and assaulting him.
On Monday, Barghouti's wife, lawyer Fadwa Barghouti, said her husband was struck by a rubber bullet fired by an Israeli prison guard inside his cell, causing a painful injury and bleeding.
She did not specify when the incident occurred.
Abu Al Hims alleged that Barghouti's repeated targeting by Israeli authorities showed "a clear plan to eliminate him" and posed a serious threat to the lives of Palestinian prisoners.
He also accused Israeli authorities of carrying out "retaliatory policies" in prisons, including executions, starvation and deprivation, saying such practices violate international law and humanitarian norms.
‘International silence’
The Palestinian official called on the international community to act immediately to protect Barghouti and other Palestinian prisoners and end "the international silence" that has allowed such violations to continue.
According to the Palestinian Prisoner Society, Barghouti has been held in Israeli prisons since 2002, after years of pursuit and forced displacement, and has spent extended periods in solitary confinement alongside other prominent Palestinian prisoners.
A member of Fatah's Central Committee and one of the movement's most prominent leaders, Barghouti was arrested by Israel in April 2002.
He is serving five life sentences after being convicted by an Israeli court of murder and attempted murder.
Barghouti remains one of the most popular political figures among Palestinians.
Although Israel has released thousands of Palestinian prisoners in exchange deals over the years, it has continued to refuse to release Barghouti and several other high-profile Palestinian detainees.
