Marwan Barghouti, a prisoner of freedom for more than two decades, lives endless chapters of suffering behind the cold walls of prison where he is robbed of the warmth of his homeland, denied the embrace of his loved ones, and forced to confront the cruelty of his jailers who with all their might, try to break his resolve.
Years of confinement have worn his body to the point of emaciation and affected his features, rendering them almost unlike their former self. His wife once remarked, "If I had passed by him after his features had changed, I would not have recognized him." Deliberate starvation, flagrant medical neglect, and systematic deprivation have turned his face into a mirror of pain but behind that exhausted face blazes an inextinguishable spirit.
Marwan has transformed his prison cell into a temple of resistance and a place where hope ignites, affirming that chains cannot kill dreams and that jailers cannot strip a freedom fighter of his faith in freedom.
Although his features have changed, his spirit remains impervious to change, standing tall like a mountain unshaken by the winds, standing as a witness that willpower is stronger than chains, and that Palestine lives in the eyes, no matter how hard prison tries to obscure it.
Let us raise our hands in prayer from the depths of our hearts that God may release Marwan Barghouti and free him from the shackles of his jailer by the blessing of the Al-Aqsa flood that awakened in the nation the spirit of pride and dignity so that he may return free like a dawn breeze bearing the tidings of victory.
The encounter between the two took place earlier this week at the jail where Marwan Barghouti is being held. © Itamar Ben-Gvir via Telegram, Palestinian author and artist Ahmad Channaa (Abu Nizar) Photo provided by Ahmad Channaa