(1959- ) A Palestinian political and military figure. A longtime member of Fatah, he lived in the Occupied Palestinian Territories while much of Fatah’s leadership was in the Diaspora. Barghouti was a key leader during the First Intifada, for which he was deported by Israel to Jordan. Following the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1994, he returned to the West Bank and was elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council in 1996. Originally a supporter of the Oslo Process, Barghouti became disenchanted with ties between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel. During the Second Intifada, he was the head of Fatah’s Tanzim militia and led several marches in protest of Israeli occupation. Israel arrested Barghouti in 2002 under allegations that he was leading the Palestinian militant group al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade. Barghouti is currently serving five consecutive life-sentences in Israeli prison, after being tried on 26 murder charges as well as membership in what Israel regards as a terrorist organization. He was believed by many to be a contender for the leadership of the PA following Yasser Arafat’s death, but eventually decided to withdraw his candidacy for the 2005 presidential elections. In 2009, while still in prison, he was elected to Fatah’s Central Committee. See Fischbach, Michael R. “Barghuthi, Marwan.” Philip Mattar, ed. Encyclopedia of the Palestinians. New York: Facts on File, 2005; and “Profile: Marwan Barghouti.” 26 November 2009. BBC. 27 June 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1473585.stm.  http://www.justvision.org/glossary/barghouti-marwan