(1954- ) A
Palestinian doctor, political figure, democracy and human rights activist who calls for popular nonviolent resistance to the occupation. Barghouti has been active in establishing health programs throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees. Politically, he was a longtime figure in the
Palestine People's Party (formerly the Communist Party) and participated in the
Madrid Conference in 1991. In 2002, he co-founded the Palestinian National Initiative (Mubadara) and currently sits as the party's Secretary General. Barghouti served as the Minister of Information in the short-lived Palestinian national unity government from March-June 2007. Since then, he has played a key role in facilitating internal political negotiations surrounding
Fatah-Hamas unity agreements. He has been arrested by
Israeli police on multiple occasions. As of 2015, he sits on the
Palestinian Legislative Council and is a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization Central Council. Barghouti was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010. See "
An Insider's view of the Palestinian unity deal", Tom Kutsh, Foreign Policy, May 6, 2011; and "
Nobel Peace Prize and Dr. Mustafa Barghouti" U.K. Parliament.