Mustafa Barghuthi

Mustafa Barghuthi

Mustafa Kamil Mustafa Barghuthi (* 1954 in Jerusalem ), (also: Mustafa Barghouthi , Mustafa Al-Barghuthi , Arabic مصطفى البرغوثي, DMG Muṣṭafā al-Barġūṯī ) is a Palestinian politician , doctor and civil rights activist who is active on the boards of numerous organizations.

In 2005 he came in second place after Mahmoud Abbas in the elections for President of the Palestinian Authority .

education

Barghuthi studied medicine at the Russian University of International Friendship in what was then the Soviet Union . This was followed by post-graduate training in Jerusalem. He later earned a Masters of Science degree in Business Administration and Management from Stanford University .

Social Commitment

In 1979, Barghuthi and a few colleagues founded a medical aid organization when the Israeli curfew affected Palestinian health care. Under the name of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS), the association still operates mobile clinics and health centers in the Palestinian territories and, in addition to caring for the sick, is especially dedicated to prevention and education. Barghuthi is still active on the board of the association to this day. In 2001 he received the UAE Health Foundation Prize from the World Health Organization (WHO) for his efforts in the PMRS to develop a primary health care system for disadvantaged Palestinians in the West Bank , Gaza Strip and Jerusalem.

Ten years later, in 1989, Barghuthi was one of the founders of the Health, Development, Information and Policy Institute (HDIP), a think tank that represents an alliance of 90 Palestinian community organizations. HDIP sees itself as an interface between political decision-makers and Palestinian society. HDIP advises Palestinian institutions and politicians as well as the World Health Organization, the World Bank and various United Nations agencies ( UNICEF , UNDP ). The priority is to strengthen the health system. That is why the institute coordinates a large network of NGOs in the field of health care in all parts of the Palestinian Territories, which it provides with direct information on health and infrastructure conditions. One of the main objectives is to monitor the primary health care system in the Palestinian territories.

In October 2001, Barghuthi was one of the founders of the Grassroots International Protection for the Palestinian People (GIPP) program. This aims to protect Palestinians in peaceful demonstrations through the presence of international civilians. Thus, violence by Israeli settlers or Israeli security forces should be reduced or at least documented internationally. He also works as a contributor to the Oxford Research Group , which works to develop effective methods for achieving positive change in security issues through nonviolent means.

In 2002 he founded the Palestinian National Initiative (Al-Mubadara Al-Wataniyya Al-Filistiniyya) together with the doctor Haidar Abdel-Shafi , Ibrahim Dakkak , a human rights advisor for the Palestinian Authority, and the literary scholar Edward Said . The aim was to create a reformist, comprehensive, secular and democratic alternative to the existing parties. The movement sees itself as a third path alongside the big power blocs of Hamas and Fatah . Barghuthi is the general secretary of this organization to this day.

Political career

In the early 1990s Barghuthi was a member of the steering committee of the Palestinian delegation in peace negotiations, and in 1991 he was a delegate to the Madrid conference aimed at ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the first Intifada .

In 1998 he became one of three general secretaries of the Palestinian People's Party (PPP), which is a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization ( PLO) . Out of dissatisfaction with corruption and nepotism within the PLO, Barghuthi left the party in 2002 and founded the Palestinian National Initiative .

Mustafa Barghuthi ran as a candidate in the elections for President of the Palestinian Authority in 2005 to succeed Yasser Arafat . In the announcement, Barghuthi said he would call for full reform, fight all forms of corruption and mismanagement, and expand and strengthen the rule of law. He was arrested by Israeli security forces and expelled from East Jerusalem after trying to give a campaign speech there. He was also denied entry to Nablus and the Gaza Strip by Israeli security forces . Barghuthi finished second in the election, finishing second behind Mahmoud Abbas with 19.48% of the vote. Barghuthi appeared in the election as the top candidate for the list of Independent Palestine , a coalition of independents and members of numerous non-governmental organizations . The representatives of the list promised to fight against corruption and nepotism and to work for the demolition of the barrier . Above all, however, the list wanted to be a “truly democratic alternative” and an independent “third way” for the vast majority of silent and unrepresented Palestinian voters who favor neither the autocracy and corruption of ruling Fatah nor the fundamentalism of Hamas.

Barghuthi won a seat in the January 2006 elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council , as did another member of the Independent Palestine list after the list garnered 2.7% of the vote. He was information minister in the short-lived Palestinian unity government from March to June 2007, in whose creation he was instrumental. After President Abbas dissolved the unity government in June 2007, Barghuthi turned down the offer to join the emergency government or the transitional government under Salam Fayyad as minister . He pointed out the lack of a legal basis for this government.

Incidents

In 1996, Barghuthi was injured in a clash between Palestinian protesters and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). While helping the wounded in the violent clash in Ramallah, IDF soldiers opened fire near the location where medics and doctors were working. He was hit in the shoulder by shrapnel .

On January 2, 2002, Barghuthi was arrested by Israeli security forces after attending a press conference with Luisa Morgantini , member of the European Parliament , and representatives of Grassroots International Protection for the Palestinian People (GIPP) at the American Colony Hotel in East Jerusalem. He was released injured four hours later.

During the campaign for the Palestinian Legislative Council elections, Barghuthi was arrested on January 3, 2006 in East Jerusalem and taken to the local police station for questioning. He was then taken to the Russian Compound Prison and Interrogation Center for several hours.

Publications and media presence

Mustafa Barghuthi has published numerous papers on civil society, democratic issues and the political situation in Palestine. He was also the co-author of various books and studies on health care development. As a board member of numerous Palestinian institutions, he is particularly well known among the Palestinian population. Thanks to its high presence in international media, its popularity is steadily increasing abroad. He is a frequent guest at events on the Middle East conflict, especially the situation in the Palestinian territories.

Private

Barghuthi is married to Rita Giacaman. She is Professor of Public Health at Birzeit University . The two have a daughter together. The Barghuthis are one of the largest families in the West Bank. They come from Deir Ghassaneh in the Ramallah area. Family members include the imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti , who is a distant cousin of Mustafa Barghouti . Barghuthi lives in Ramallah .

Web links

Commons : Mustafa Barghouti  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• Palestinian Medical Relief Society
• Health, Development Information and Policy Network
• Grassroots International Protection for the Palestinian People (GIPP)
• Palestinian National Initiative, Al-Mubadara

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Eric Hazan: Palestinian Defiance . In: New Left Review 32 . March – April 2005. Accessed March 23, 2014.
2. ^ Reform candidate enters PA race. on: BBC News. November 29, 2004.
3. ^ Announces List of Candidates for Legislative Elections. ( Memento of the original from June 9, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on the Palestinian National Initiative website . December 15, 2005. 
4. ↑ The CEC announces the final results of the second PLC elections, Palestinian Central Elections Commission, January 29, 2006 Archived copy ( Memento of the original from April 4, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
5. ↑ Government of the Palestinian Authority of March 2007
6. ↑ Dr. Mustafa Barghouthi is Released After Being Injured by Israeli Army as a Punishment for Non-Violent, Peaceful Activities (Palestine Monitor, January 2, 2002) [1]
7. ^ Barghouti gives Press Conference following arrest. ( Memento of the original from June 20, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. January 13, 2006.