National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir spoke with Marwan Barghouti in prison on Thursday and warned, "Whoever messes with Israel - we will wipe him out."
"You will not defeat us, whoever messes with the people of Israel, whoever murders our children and women - we will wipe him out," Ben-Gvir told him. "You need to know this, it's been like this throughout history."
The Palestinian Authority released a complaint following Ben-Gvir's comments, claiming that his comments constituted "state terrorism."
"The Palestinian Authority's Foreign Ministry condemns the raid by extremist Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on the cell of commander Marwan al-Barghouti, directly threatening him. This is an unprecedented provocation and organized state terrorism," the statement read.
Arab-Israeli MK Ayman Odeh, head of Hadash-Ta'al, commented on social media in English: "This video lays bare the full ugliness of the Israeli occupation: Itamar Ben Gvir, a terrorist in a tie, tormenting Marwan Barghouti in a cell under cruel, inhumane conditions," adding that evil is powerless against "a people fighting for their freedom."
"The Palestinian people will prevail over the occupation and every Ben Gvir standing in its way," Odeh concluded.
Ben-Gvir later wrote in a social media post that after hearing the PA's condemnation, he said he would repeat his statements "again and again without apologizing: anyone who messes with the people of Israel, anyone who murders our children, anyone who murders our women — we will wipe him out. With God’s help."
The national security minister referred to Barghouti as an "arch-terrorist" and called for his name to be erased.
Who is Marwan Barghouti?
Barghouti was sentenced in 2004 to five life sentences for his role in orchestrating attacks that killed Israelis.
He helped establish Tanzim, the military faction of Fatah, in the 1980s.
Barghouti, often referred to as the “Palestinian Mandela,” has long been considered a unifying figure among Palestinians, according to The Media Line.
Reports have indicated that Hamas demanded the release of Barghouti throughout the ceasefire-hostage deal negotiations, hoping that such a move would reignite support for Hamas.