Israeli minister posts taunting prison video

A video shows Itamar Ben Gvir taunting Marwan Barghouti during a jail visit, triggering condemnation and debate over prisoner treatment.

Far right Israeli minister taunts imprisoned Palestinian leader in video

Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel’s far-right security minister, posted a 13‑second video on Telegram this week in which he taunts Marwan Barghouti, the long‑imprisoned Palestinian leader. Barghouti, 66, is serving five life sentences for his role in attacks that killed five Israelis. In the clip, Ben Gvir declares that those who harm Israelis will be wiped out, while Barghouti appears to try to respond before the minister cuts him off. The video has drawn immediate condemnation from Palestinian officials and rights groups, and it appears to be Barghouti’s first public interaction after years in hiding from the public eye.

Barghouti has been held in solitary confinement since the start of the current conflict, a detail his family and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society say underscores ongoing concerns about prisoner welfare. His wife, Fadwa Al Barghouti, described how she barely recognized her husband, saying that the face and body reveal a grueling diet of isolation. A cousin told CNN the image of Barghouti looked thin and weakened, calling the conditions in prison “starvation.” Ben Gvir’s motives for posting the video remain unclear, and the minister is known for provocative remarks and a past stint in jail for anti‑Arab incitement. The incident also raises questions about how social media is used by political figures to signal positions during a volatile period.

The clip illustrates a political tactic built on spectacle. Ben Gvir’s post treats a high‑profile prisoner as a stage for policy signaling, blending intimidation with a display of state power. That approach risks normalizing humiliation as a political tool and could deepen mistrust on the ground. For many Palestinians, the video reinforces the perception that justice and humanitarian norms are subordinated to hardline rhetoric in a time of crisis.

Beyond the personal glare of the moment, the incident touches again on how prisoner welfare and basic rights are treated in wartime. Palestinian officials call the actions psychological and physical intimidation, while international observers may view it as a test of humanitarian conventions in a conflict that already runs hot. The episode could complicate any path toward ceasefire discussions or prisoner swaps, because symbols matter as much as words in this conflict.

Highlights

What authorities say and do next will shape whether this becomes a turning point or a blip in a longer struggle.