- ‘The will of a person who believes in their rights cannot be broken by prison, by a jailer or by the bars of prison,’ he tells Anadolu

- 'All colonized peoples resist,' Barghouti says, 'they make sacrifices, and history shows they eventually prevail'

ISTANBUL

Nael Barghouti spent a total of 45 years in Israeli custody before his release last year, witnessing major shifts in Palestinian political life from behind prison walls.

In 2009, Guinness World Records recognized him as the world’s longest-serving political prisoner after he surpassed a previous record held by another Palestinian detainee.

Fellow detainees often referred to him as the “dean of Palestinian prisoners” for his role in supporting inmates and for his intellectual and moral influence inside prison.

“Prison did not teach me – I taught prison what freedom is,” he said in an interview with Anadolu.

“I taught prison that the will of a person who believes in their rights cannot be broken by prison, by a jailer or by the bars of prison,” he said. “Meanwhile, someone who lives the meaning of freedom inside prison is the truly free person.”

Born in 1957 in the village of Kobar, near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Barghouti grew up in a family shaped by earlier phases of Palestinian resistance. His father was detained by British authorities and one of his uncles was killed during the Great Revolt of 1936, when Palestinians fought for independence from British colonial rule and the end of British support for Zionism.

Barghouti was first arrested in 1977 and sentenced in 1978 to 112 years in prison. After a brief release in 2011 during the Gilad Shalit exchange, he was re-arrested in 2014 and released again in February 2025.

Witness to shifting phases of Palestinian resistance

From prison, Barghouti said he observed major shifts in Palestinian resistance, from the First and Second Intifadas to the Oslo process and successive Israeli wars on Gaza.

He described the Oslo Accords as a turning point that, in his view, failed to deliver Palestinian self-determination and enabled further expansion of illegal Israeli settlements.

He said the events of October 2023 marked a major rupture, arguing that they reflected a new strategic phase shaped by younger generations.

Asked about the scale of destruction inflicted by Israel in Gaza, Barghouti said he was not surprised.

“It was expected by anyone who understands the nature of this enemy in war and genocide,” he said.“Anyone who understands the nature of this conflict would expect this.”

He linked the latest war on Gaza to earlier mass killings in Palestinian history, including Deir Yassin in 1948 and Khan Younis and Rafah in 1956.

“What is happening now is an extension of those massacres,” he said.

Life in exile

As a condition of his release in 2025, Barghouti was deported to Egypt.

“The bitterness of the homeland is a hundred times better than the sweetness of exile,” he said.

Despite living in exile, Barghouti said his sense of belonging and political identity remain firmly rooted in Palestine.

“I never left Palestine,” he said. “I was always in Palestine, inside prison or outside it. There was no difference. Palestine lived inside me: its people, its development, its cities, its trees, and its leadership.”

Barghouti said his sense of identity and political commitment remain intact, shaped by family loss and personal experience. He said members of his family have been imprisoned, killed or otherwise affected by the conflict, experiences he said continue to inform his worldview.

Addressing younger Palestinians struggling, Barghouti urged reflection and perseverance.

“Anyone who feels despair must revisit themselves and history, and take a dose of hope from all the martyrs who came before,” he said.

He also said the international community bears responsibility not only toward Palestinians, but toward broader global norms.

“They have to stand with us, not only to defend us, but to defend themselves as well,” he said.

Barghouti said that, despite the losses endured, he believes there is still reason for hope for the future of Palestine.

“All colonized peoples resist,” he said. “They make sacrifices, and history shows they eventually prevail.”