Although he was elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council in 1996, Barghouti’s reputation soared when the current Intifada began in September 2000. His support for attacks against Israeli soldiers and settlers in the occupied territories, which he argues is legitimate under international law, has earned him immense popularity among Palestinians, but also a sentence of five life terms plus 40 years in an Israeli prison.
虽然他在1996年就当选巴勒斯坦立法委员会，但是他声名大振还是在2000年9月开始的因提法达起义中。他主张暴力袭击在巴被占领土上的以色列士兵和定居者，且认为这在国际法框架内属合法行为。他的这一立场另他在许多巴勒斯坦人中享有威望，但他也因此被以色列判了5次终身监禁另加40年监禁。