Israel moves jailed Palestinian leader Barghouti to maximum security jail following ‘resistance’ message

Jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti has been transferred from the Hadarim prison to the maximum-security Ayalon prison in Ramlah, central Israel, after recording a message in solidarity with Palestinians taking part in protests against Israel’s occupation in Jerusalem and the West Bank and airstrikes on Gaza.

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, an NGO which works to raise awareness of Palestinians detained by Israel, said in a statement that Barghouti had been transferred to an isolation wing in the maximum-security jail "after addressing a message to his people telling them to stand up to occupation and join the resistance".

Last Saturday, Barghouti sent out a defiant message to Palestinians from his cell.

"We are living at a critical time for the future of our cause and our struggle," he said.

Barghouti called on them to defend the Al-Aqsa Mosque and other Muslim and Christian holy places in Jerusalem, which he called "the beating heart of the nation and the eternal capital of the Palestinian people".

Read more: Is a Barghouti presidency the best hope for a free Palestine?

He added that Palestinians' relationship with Israeli "imperialism" should be one of "resistance, rejection, struggle and boycott, not one of accommodation, bargaining, and appeasement".

He also called for Palestinian unity, saying that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) should be "rebuilt" to include Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Barghouthi rose to prominence as a leader in the Fatah movement during the Second Palestinian Intifada, which broke out in 2000 following the failure of Camp David peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

He was captured by Israeli forces in 2002 and has been detained ever since. Israel has sentenced him to five life sentences.

In March, he announced that he would be submitting an independent list to run in now-postponed Palestinian elections against the official Fatah list.

It followed strong speculation that he could run for the Palestinian presidency and win.

Hundreds of Palestinians protesting in Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque and Sheikh Jarrah district, where Palestinians face expulsion from their homes by Israel, have been injured by Israeli forces in recent days.

Israel has also killed over 200 Palestinians and injured hundreds more in the Gaza Strip in airstrikes which started just over a week ago.