The founder of the political party the Palestinian National Initiative Mustafa Barghouthi was designated for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize by Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate and co-founder of Peace People in Northern Ireland.

In her letter to Nobel Committee, Maguire affirms: “I am inspired by the life and work of Dr. Barghouthi whose commitment to nonviolence, in his personal and public life, is truly in the Ghandian spirit. For the Nobel Committee to give their 2010 Award to Dr. Barghouthi would be a recognition of not only his great spirit of peace and nonviolence, but also the Palestinian Nonviolent Movement, which gives us all hope for the future of Palestine, Israel and the Middle East Community.”

Barghouthi was a presidential candidate in Palestine in 2005, was elected to the Palestinian parliament in 2006, designated Minister of Information under the 2007 national unity government, General secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative; social, political, human rights and peace activist, international spokesperson for the Palestinian cause, leading figure in the non-violent, peaceful struggle against the occupation, and organizer of international solidarity present in Palestine.

Mustafa Barghouthi has been through an amazing contribution to initiatives to peacefully confront the ongoing Israeli Occupation of Palestine and bring it to an end, constructing the institutional structure of Palestinian civil society and endorsing the Principles of internal democracy and good governance.