A Palestinian leader sees new energy in U.S. — particularly among young Americans — to confront Mideast crisis

WASHINGTON —  He wears a small black-and-white checked kaffiyeh-patterned pocket square in his jacket’s breast pocket. His hair is grayer than when we last met more than a decade ago.

Mustafa Barghouti, West Bank-based cardiologist and reluctant politician, for years has been considered one of the region’s smartest and most moderate Palestinian leaders, with an easy but principled manner toward friends and foes alike.

Barghouti, 70, heads the Palestinian National Initiative political faction, which sees itself as a democratic alternative to the extremist Hamas as well as the Palestinian Authority, which has long provided a degree of administration in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war — triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks that killed 1,200 Israelis and an Israeli counteroffensive that has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians — Barghouti has been lobbying Americans to intervene.

The U.S., he says, today plays an even greater role in the conflict because it has become home to one of the largest Palestinian populations outside the Mideast. He was in Washington last month to seek support for Palestinians and help for Gaza, including visits to Democratic and independent congressional lawmakers and activist groups here and in San Francisco.

He spoke to The Times about the conflict. Some of the questions here are paraphrased.

In your meetings with lawmakers, what is your message?

The United States is drowned to its neck in the Middle East.

I thought they had a strategy that we should calm down the Middle East. They had false hopes about normalization [between Israel and other Arab states]. The impact of what’s happening in Palestine is going to be very serious for the reputation of the United States in Arab countries, for a long time, and not only the Arab countries but worldwide.

So what is needed now?

Cutting off weapons immediately. All weapons. [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu will not be able to survive without the Americans. And he could drag the United States into very serious confrontation with Iran. ... The U.S. also is giving him coverage in the [United Nations] Security Council.

[We also want] massive pressure on Israel to endorse [steps] for the cease-fire, negotiation and ending occupation of Gaza and also to stop what Israel is doing in the West Bank [by expanding illegal settlements while settlers attack Palestinian villagers.]

In the past, Israel has largely controlled the narrative. In this conflict, the Palestinian story has played a larger role. Other than the scope of the death and destruction in Gaza, why do you think that is?

One of the good signs is that for the first time, maybe since the Vietnam War, you have on the campuses, this huge movement in support of Palestine. Worldwide, the Gaza war opened the door for making the Palestinian cause the No. 1 cause of justice worldwide.

That’s why it had a very important impact, for instance, on elections in France, ... an impact in Spain, in Ireland, and now it’s having an impact here. ... It’s important that people recognize that this is going to be the cause of the future.

Are Palestinians better organized?

Partially, it’s we are better organized. Partially, the truth is very clear. And third, the most important thing is we have social media.

In the past, it was only mainstream media, and mainstream media was not showing everything. They were mostly biased to the Israeli side. And they continue to do so, but the social media breaks the taboo.

[Another] factor is the second and third Palestinian generation who are young people, [descended from parents and grandparents displaced in 1948], especially young women, who know the system, who speak the language and who are not afraid of telling their opinion.

And many of those second and third generations are in the U.S.?

We have, it seems, in the United States the third-largest Palestinian population in the world. The first two being Palestine and Jordan. ( Note: Precise estimates of the Palestinian diaspora are difficult to determine and vary.)

The Palestinian voices in America today are much stronger than any time before. The Palestinian diaspora is back to being active. While it was marginalized for 30 years ... what you can see is revitalization of the Palestinian issue.

Worldwide, a whole new generation is revitalized, reenergized. And their commitment to the Palestinian issue is better than our generation.

You have been critical of President Biden and former President Trump on Mideast policy. Do you see a difference in Vice President Kamala Harris?

Her language about Palestinian suffering is much better. But we need to see change in policy, not just words.

What was your reaction to the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas?

The most important thing to remember is this conflict did not begin on Oct. 7. The longest occupation in history, an apartheid system and efforts by Netanyahu to eliminate the Palestinian issue [from public discourse].

It was a tragedy that so many Israelis were killed [on Oct. 7], but the real tragedy is they have Netanyahu as their leader. He doesn’t care about them.