had sacrificed a toenail for Marwan: during our protest in court we were violently attacked by the guards and one of them stamped his heavy boot on Teddy's sandaled foot.
Fadwa Barghouti is a lawyer by profession, a mother of four (three sons, one daughter). The oldest, Kassem, has already been in prison for half a year without trial. She is a dark-blond woman ("All the family members, except Marwan, are blond," she explained, adding with a rare smile: "Perhaps because of the Crusaders.")
The Barghoutis are a large hamula (extended family), inhabiting six villages near Bir Zeit. Dr Mustapha Barghouti, the physician who is well known for his human rights activities, is a distant relative. Marwan and Fadwa-also a Barghouti by birth-were born in Kobar village.
Marwan Barghouti's family lives in a nice apartment in a condominium building. On my way there, I noticed the widespread building activity in Ramallah-it looks as if new buildings are going on every corner, including commercial high-rises.
Near the door of the apartment, an embroidered sign says in English: "Welcome to my home." The apartment itself is decorated with many images of Marwan Barghouti, including a large drawing inspired by the famous photo that shows him in court, raising his handcuffed arms above his head like a victorious boxer. When the security forces were searching for him, they took possession of the apartment for three days and raised a large Israeli flag on the balcony.
Fadwa Barghouti is one of the few persons allowed to visit him. Not as a lawyer, but only as "close family"-a definition that includes parents, spouses, siblings, and children under 16.
At present, there are about 11,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Assuming an average of five "close family" members, that makes 55,000 potential visitors. Those, too, need a permit for each visit, and many are rejected for "security reasons." Fadwa also needs a permit every time, which allows her only to go directly to the prison and back, without stopping anywhere in Israel. The three sons are not allowed to meet their father any more, since all three have passed the age of 16. Only the young daughter can visit him.
There is hardly anyone who is more popular with the Palestinian public than Marwan Barghouti. In this, too, he resembles Mandela while in prison.
It is difficult to explain the source of this authority. It does not emanate from his high position in Fatah, since the movement is disorganized and there is hardly any clear hierarchy. From the time when he was a simple activist in his village, he rose in the organization by sheer