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Political Party/527

Palestinian National Initiative (PNI)

Type:

Palestinian Political Party
Formation:

2002
Secretary General:

Dr. Mustafa Barghouti
Location:

Ramallah, West Bank

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The Palestinian National Initiative (PNI), or al-Mubadara in Arabic, is a Palestinian political party that claims to be a democratic movement of non-violent resistance to what it considers the Israeli occupation of Palestine. 1 PNI has advocated for an independent, democratic Palestinian state established on the armistice lines between Israel and the Arab-controlled territories of the former British Mandate of Palestine prevailing before the 1967 Six-Day War. The group is highly critical of Israel and its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. 2 General secretary Mustafa Barghouti seemed to shift this position in 2024, calling for a single state “like… South Africa. 3

Unlike many Palestinian political factions, PNI does not maintain a military wing of the party. 4 While Barghouti claims to oppose violence against civilians, he has justified the October 7, 2023 attacks against Israel and has ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a Marxist-Leninist Palestinian terrorist faction. 5

Party Formation and Background

The Palestinian National Initiative was formally founded as a political party in 2002 by Mustafa Barghouti, Haidar Abdel-Shafi, Edward Said, and Ibrahim Dakkak in opposition to the 1993 Oslo Accords. The Accords vested Palestinian state power in the Palestinian Authority (PA), which was dominated by Yasser Arafat’s Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). The PLO transformed itself from a predominantly military organization into the political coalition Fatah. After the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Legislative Council and the Palestinian National Council were created as vehicles to increase the Palestinian people’s capacity to engage in democratic politics. Still, Fatah dominated the PA and marginalized other political groups, including the Legislative and National Councils. This, and the PLO’s failure to achieve peace with Israel and Palestinian national sovereignty, created more popular support for radical Islamic forces, such as Hamas, which perpetuate terrorism against the state of Israel. The PNI emerged as an alternative to both the Fatah and Hamas. 6

The PNI favors improved democratic systems within the Palestinian Authority to achieve a Palestinian state, the withdrawal of all Israeli troops from lands controlled by Arab states before the 1967 Six-Day War, and the right of all Palestinian refugees to return to Palestine. Since its inception, the Palestinian National Initiative has advanced peaceful, nonviolent resistance to what it considers Israeli occupation, while maintaining the right to resist the alleged occupation. 7 The party is a member of the Progressive Alliance, an international coalition of left-of-center political parties and advocacy groups. 8

Although the party has historically advocated for a two-state solution, during a March 2024 presentation in South Africa, Palestinian National Initiative general secretary Mustafa Barghouti said, “‘the best solution [to the Palestine problem] is a one [sic] democratic state so that people will have equal rights like what we have in South Africa. South Africa is the best model.’” This represented a potential shift in the PNI’s party objectives. 9 Barghouti reaffirmed his desire for a one-state solution in a May 2024 interview with El País, saying “it’s up to the Israelis if the future will be two states or one state.” 10

Election Results

The Palestinian National Initiative has seen measured success in Palestinian presidential, legislative, and local elections. In 2005, Mustafa Barghouti ran for president against Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s candidate. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a Marxist-Leninist Palestinian terrorist faction, endorsed Barghouti. 11 Although Abbas won the election, Barghouti came in second and received 20 percent of the popular vote. 12

In the 2006 legislative election, the Palestinian National Initiative received 2.7 percent of the votes, gaining two seats in the Palestinian National Legislative Council which were filled by Barghouti and Rawya Rashad Sa-eed al-Shawa. 13

From 2016 to 2021, Barghouti and the Palestinian National Initiative attempted to create various democratic coalitions to present a unified candidate in opposition to the PLO and Hamas. 14 However, this coalition was ultimately unsuccessful, and in 2021 the coalition collapsed due to disagreements raised by the Popular Front for Palestinian Liberation (PFPL). 15

Mustafa Barghouti

Background

Mustafa Barghouti was born in Jerusalem, at the time controlled by Jordan, in 1954 and grew up in Ramallah. He is a trained physician who studied medicine in Moscow and practiced medicine in the Palestinian territories for 18 years. Barghouti has been involved in Palestinian politics since the 1967 Israel-Palestine war. 16 He is the general secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative, a representative in the Palestinian National Legislative Council, and former Palestinian presidential candidate. He is also a co-founder of the party. Barghouti is a member of the Palestinian Central Council (PCC), and in 2007, he served as minister of information in a Palestinian unity government. 17

Mustafa Barghouti is a distant cousin of imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, who was convicted in Israel of five counts of murder for which he received five life sentences. 18

In 1979, Barghouti helped to found the Palestinian Medical Relief Society which has since become one of the largest providers of primary healthcare services throughout the Palestinian territories. In 1989, Barghouti also helped to found the Health, Development Information and Policy Institute, a policy think-tank dedicated to health and public policy research. 19

Barghouti’s fierce opposition to the state of Israel has resulted in his arrest on several occasions by Israeli authorities, including in 2005 during his presidential campaign in East Jerusalem. 20

Associations with the PFLP

While PNI does not maintain an armed wing, Barghouti has associated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a Marxist-Leninist Palestinian terrorist faction. Capital Research Center analyst Ryan Mauro wrote, “PFLP endorsed [Barghouti’s] presidential campaign in 2005. He attended the funeral of PFLP’s founder and leader in 2008. According to news coverage of the event, ‘Barghouti said [PFLP leader] Habash was a symbol of the Palestinian struggle and a tireless advocate of Palestinians’ rights.’” 21

International Media

In July 2024, Barghouti published an op-ed in The Hill arguing against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech in front of a joint session of the United States U.S. Congress. In the article, Barghouti wrote that Netanyahu “is responsible for grave war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank.” Barghouti argued for the arrest of Netanyahu as a war criminal and stated that Israel may be guilty of genocide for its response to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack. 22

Also in July 2024, Barghouti met with lawmakers in Washington, D.C. where he accused the United States of maintaining a double standard for the Israel-Hamas conflict and the Russia-Ukraine war. He accused the United States of implementing sanctions against Russia within months of its invasion of Ukraine, while America supported Israel in what Barghouti claims is genocide against Palestinians. 23

In February 2024, Barghouti appeared in an interview on France 24 during which he said that the Israeli goal “is to eradicate the Palestinian people.” He called for an “immediate, complete and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.” 24 Barghouti made this same plea in a November 2023 interview with CNN, when he also called for a “total and complete ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip. 25 He used similar language in a 2005 interview with the Washington Journal regarding the “Middle East Peace Process” when he demanded a “complete ceasefire” in Gaza. 26

Throughout 2023 and 2024, Barghouti was included in several roundtables and other interviews dealing with Palestinian liberation efforts, including a radio interview with National Public Radio in October 2023, an interview with BBC in November 2023, a press conference with The Intercept in February 2024, a roundtable with the Nelson Mandela Foundation in April 2024, and a webinar with Arab Center Washington DC in April 2024. 27 28 29 30 31

Barghouti also has an X (formerly Twitter) following of over 100,000 people to which he regularly speaks on issues of Israeli-Palestinian affairs. 32 In July 2024, Barghouti posted about a resolution passed by Israel’s parliament (the Knesset) that rejected the creation of a Palestinian state. Barghouti said the “resolution represents a rejection of peace with Palestinians and an official declaration of the death of Oslo agreement.” 33

References

  1. PALESTINIAN NATIONAL INITIATIVE (AL-MUBADARA). European Council on Foreign Relations. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://ecfr.eu/special/mapping_palestinian_politics/palestinian_national_initiative/
  2. Barghouti, Mustafa. “Benjamin Netanyahu does not deserve to set foot in the US Capitol.” The Hill. July 24, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://thehill.com/opinion/international/4788944-israel-netanyahu-speech-congress/
  3. PALESTINIAN NATIONAL INITIATIVE (AL-MUBADARA). European Council on Foreign Relations. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://ecfr.eu/special/mapping_palestinian_politics/palestinian_national_initiative/
  4. PALESTINIAN NATIONAL INITIATIVE (AL-MUBADARA). European Council on Foreign Relations. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://ecfr.eu/special/mapping_palestinian_politics/palestinian_national_initiative/
  5. Mauro, Ryan. “DNC in Coalitions with Pro-Terror Palestinian Parties: Fatah.” Capital Research Center, August 15, 2024. https://capitalresearch.org/article/dnc-and-affiliates-in-coalitions-with-pro-terror-palestinian-parties-part-2/.
  6. The Palestinian National Initiative and Dr. Mustafa Barghouti. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East. May 2010. Accessed August 11, 2024.  https://www.cjpme.org/fs_080
  7. The Palestinian National Initiative and Dr. Mustafa Barghouti. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East. May 2010. Accessed August 11, 2024.  https://www.cjpme.org/fs_080
  8. Mauro, Ryan. “DNC in Coalitions with Pro-Terror Palestinian Parties: Fatah.” Capital Research Center, August 15, 2024. https://capitalresearch.org/article/dnc-and-affiliates-in-coalitions-with-pro-terror-palestinian-parties-part-2/.
  9. Chirume, Joseph. From Cape Town, Dr. Mustafa Barghouti calls for South Africa-style one state solution for Palestine, ‘if Palestinians choose it.’“ The New Arab. March 15, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.newarab.com/news/south-africa-style-one-state-solution-palestine
  10. Gutiérrez, Óscar. “Mustafa Barghouti, former Palestinian minister: ‘We can live together in one democratic state.’ El País. May 30, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2024. ” https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-05-30/mustafa-barghouti-former-palestinian-minister-we-can-live-together-in-one-democratic-state.html
  11. Anderson, John Ward, and Molly Moore. “‘we Are Leading the Road to Democracy.’” The Seattle Times, January 9, 2005. https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/we-are-leading-the-road-to-democracy/.
  12. The Palestinian National Initiative and Dr. Mustafa Barghouti. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East. May 2010. Accessed August 11, 2024.  https://www.cjpme.org/fs_080
  13.  The Second 2006 PLC Elections. Central Election Commission Palestine. 2006. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20080302071059/http://www.elections.ps/pdf/Final_Results_Winners_lists-En.pdf
  14. Abu Amer, Ahmad. “Palestinian left-wing factions forge new alliance.” AL Monitor. December 2017, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2018/12/alliance-left-wing-plo-hamas-fatah-hegemony-factions-pflp.html
  15. Khalil, Adam. “Palestine elections: Talks collapse over formation of joint left-wing list.” Middle East Eye. April 1, 2021. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/palestine-elections-failure-left-wing-talks-joint-list
  16. The Palestinian National Initiative and Dr. Mustafa Barghouti. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East. May 2010. Accessed August 11, 2024.  https://www.cjpme.org/fs_080
  17. MUSTAFA BARGHOUTI (PNI). European Council on Foreign Relations. Accessed August 11, 2024.  https://ecfr.eu/special/mapping_palestinian_politics/mustafa_barghouti_plc/
  18. Reilly, Angus. “The fall and rise of Marwan Barghouti.” Arab Barometer. February 19, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.arabbarometer.org/media-news/the-fall-and-rise-of-marwan-barghouti/
  19.  The Palestinian National Initiative and Dr. Mustafa Barghouti. Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East. May 2010. Accessed August 11, 2024.  https://www.cjpme.org/fs_080
  20. “European Parliament ‘regrets’ arrest of Barghouthi – European Parliament press release/Non-UN document.” United Nations. January 7, 2005. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-201974/
  21. Mauro, Ryan. “DNC in Coalitions with Pro-Terror Palestinian Parties: Fatah.” Capital Research Center, August 15, 2024. https://capitalresearch.org/article/dnc-and-affiliates-in-coalitions-with-pro-terror-palestinian-parties-part-2/.
  22. Barghouti, Mustafa. “Benjamin Netanyahu does not deserve to set foot in the US Capitol.” The Hill. July 24, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://thehill.com/opinion/international/4788944-israel-netanyahu-speech-congress/
  23. Berg, Matt, Gedeon, Joseph And Bazail-Eimil, Eric. “A Palestinian push on Capitol Hill during NATO.” Politico. July 12, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.politico.com/newsletters/national-security-daily/2024/07/12/a-palestinian-push-on-capitol-hill-during-nato-00167824
  24. Perelman, Marc. “PNI leader Mustafa Barghouti: ‘The real goal is to eradicate the Palestinian people.’” France 24. February 5, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2024.  https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/t%C3%AAte-%C3%A0-t%C3%AAte/20240205-mustafa-barghouti-the-real-israeli-goal-is-to-eradicate-the-palestinian-people
  25. “President of the Palestinian National Initiative calling for “total and complete” ceasefire.” CNN. November 9, 2023. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2023/11/09/exp-barghouti-israel-gaza-west-bank-intv-110902pseg1-cnni-world.cnn
  26.  Middle East Peace Process. C-SPAN. March 3, 2005. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.c-span.org/video/?185677-5/middle-east-peace-process
  27. Acovino, Vincent, Ermyas, Tinbete and Shapiro, Ari. “’Complete demolition of everything’: Palestinian politician on the violence in Gaza.” NPR. October 13, 2023. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.npr.org/2023/10/13/1205857043/complete-demolition-of-everything-palestinian-politician-on-the-violence-in-gaza
  28. Mustafa Barghouti – General Secretary, Palestinian National Initiative. BBC. November 8, 2023. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001s9db
  29. “Dr. Mustafa Barghouti On The Struggle For Palestine’s Future Amid Gaza Genocide.” The Intercept. February 28, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://theintercept.com/2024/02/28/intercepted-palestine-gaza-ethnic-cleansing/
  30. “Roundtable with Dr Mustafa Barghouti.” Nelson Mandela Foundation. April 2, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.nelsonmandela.org/news/entry/roundtable-with-dr-mustafa-barghouti
  31. “Where Does the Palestinian National Movement Go from Here?” Arab Center Washington DC. April 18, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://arabcenterdc.org/event/where-does-the-palestinian-national-movement-go-from-here/
  32. @MustafaBarghouti. X. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://x.com/MustafaBarghou1
  33. “Israel’s Knesset votes to reject Palestinian statehood.” Al-Jazeera. July 18, 2024. Accessed August 11, 2024. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/18/israels-knesset-votes-to-reject-palestinian-statehood
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