Editing Marwan Barghouti (section)

=== Outbreak of Second Intifada and political leadership ===
In September 2000, the [[Second Intifada]] began. Barghouti became increasingly popular as a leader of demonstrations, as a spokesperson for Palestinian interests, and as leader of the [[Tanzim]], a grouping of younger activists within Fatah who had taken up arms. Barghouti described himself as "a politician, not a military man."<ref name="NYTBennet" /> Barghouti led marches to Israeli checkpoints, where riots broke out against Israeli soldiers and spurred on Palestinians in speeches at funerals and demonstrations, advocating the use of force to expel Israel from the West Bank and Gaza Strip.<ref name="bbcprofile" /> He has stated that, "I, and the Fatah movement to which I belong, strongly oppose attacks and the targeting of civilians inside Israel, our future neighbor, I reserve the right to protect myself, to resist the Israeli occupation of my country and to fight for my freedom" and has said, "I still seek peaceful coexistence between the equal and independent countries of Israel and Palestine based on full withdrawal from Palestinian territories occupied in 1967."<ref name=wp-oped-20020116>{{cite news|title=Want Security? End the Occupation|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/2002/01/16/want-security-end-the-occupation/6d95b7aa-48bd-43e8-9698-e35331460ffb/|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=16 January 2002|first=Marwan |last=Barghouti |access-date=17 June 2024}}</ref>

As the Palestinian death toll in the Second Intifada mounted, Barghouti called for Palestinians to target Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank and Gaza, but not within Israel.<ref name="Hajjar"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Sher |first=Gilead |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EdgAWFiDryMC&pg=PA183 |title=The Israeli-Palestinian Peace Negotiations, 1999-2001: Within Reach |date=2006 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-7146-8542-7 |page=183}}</ref> Others, such as leaders of Hamas, openly backed attacks on civilians within Israel. Israel has accused Barghouti of having co-founded and lead the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades during this period, which he has denied.<ref name="bbcprofile" />

Israel attempted to assassinate him in 2001.<ref name=":0" /> That August, Israeli forces fired two missiles from an illegal West Bank settlement at a convoy of cars in Ramallah and injured Barghouti's bodyguard.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goldenberg |first=Suzanne |last2=Quirke |first2=Virginia |last3=Jerusalem |date=2001-08-05 |title=Israel tries to kill top Arafat aide in missile attack on car |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/aug/05/israel |access-date=2025-03-23 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> At the time, Israeli security sources claimed that they had intended to kill another Fatah operative. The then-head of [[Shin Bet]] subsequently claimed to have made two attempts to assassinate Barghouti.<ref name=":10">{{Cite news |last=Weitz |first=Gidi |title=Will Marwan Barghouti be the Palestinian Nelson Mandela? |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2016-07-05/ty-article-magazine/is-this-the-palestinian-mandela/0000017f-e66b-da9b-a1ff-ee6f5fc30000 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250110230420/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2016-07-05/ty-article-magazine/is-this-the-palestinian-mandela/0000017f-e66b-da9b-a1ff-ee6f5fc30000 |archive-date=2025-01-10 |access-date=2025-03-23 |work=Haaretz.com |language=en}}</ref> Barghouti went into hiding.