In July 2025, we are all shattered by the pictures and information from Gaza, and we have the impression that there is little that academia is able to do. Numerous calls for peace seem powerless. Yet we still can take at least a bit responsibility for what will happen after the ceasefire which is hopefully coming soon. With Sari Nusseibeh, philosopher, former president of the Al-Quds University in Jerusalem, who was, until 2002, the representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Jerusalem and published What Is a Palestinian State Worth? (Harvard University Press. 2011), we decided to launch a petition of academics (working in philosophy, political sciences, law, Middle-Eastern and Israeli studies & adjacent disciplines) in favor of the liberation of Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, who remains in Israeli prisons since 2002. You can read here the most well known paper by Marwan Barghouti in Washington Post. Our petition is of course not the first one to liberate Bargouti. But we need to talk about it, insist, use the public trust we still have a bit, to make it known.  

The open letter was published in Le Monde (the pdf is here) – « Une libération de Marwan Barghouti par Israël serait essentielle pour avancer vers la paix et une solution à deux Etats »

Below, the English version of the letter and the list of signatories – you can still add your name (click here), the list will be regularly updated on the bottom of this page. Thank you!

The current negotiations over Gaza could bring hope to the people still trying to survive there. The negotiations involve several critical issues including  the so-called ‘key formula’  involving exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. Looking ahead to the so-called ‘day-after’, significant marker of what that future will be like is whether Marwan Barghouti will be on the list of Palestinian prisoners to be released. But why is his release significant, and more significant than all the grand plans and budgets now being considered for a future Gaza at peace?  He is central to how future Palestinian politics will develop. With Marwan, chances are good that Fatah will regain its strength and hold onto its commitment to a two-state solution with Israel. Without Marwan, Fatah will likely continue to dissipate, as will the population’s support for peace with Israel. If this happens, ‘the day-after’ will simply prolong ongoing and worsening conflict.

The Israeli government may prefer a state of ongoing conflict—using it to annex and control Palestinian territory at will— rather than a state of peace that would require making a historic compromise with the Palestinian people. Aware of Marwan’s potential role in future Palestinian politics, it may keep him imprisoned. This is why it is critical for all peace-loving parties and institutions who support a two-state solution to raise their voices now to advocate for Marwan’s release.

As an elected member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and of Fatah, Marwan continues to play a leadership role even from prison. His enduring popularity among Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank ensures him a prominent position in any future Palestinian election—whether within Fatah or for the presidency. With him at the helm, a political commitment to peace with Israel, backed by strong Fatah and popular support, is likely.

At this critical juncture—when there is an urgent need to exert maximum pressure on the Government of Israel to end its indiscriminate and genocidal onslaught against the Palestinian people—it is equally necessary to demand a single, symbolic act: the release of one political Palestinian prisoner whose freedom, among thousands of others, could unlock the possibility of a different future. A future in which both Israelis and Palestinians have a real chance to live in peace side by side. Peace-loving people around the world—including and especially within Israel cannot afford to miss this opportunity.

Join us – academics working in philosophy, political sciences, law, Middle-Eastern and Israeli studies & adjacent disciplines – in raising our voice for Marwan’s release.

The letter was initiated by Sari Nusseibeh, philosopher, former president of the Al-Quds University in Jerusalem, Palestine & Anna C. Zielinska, moral and legal philosopher, University of Lorraine, Nancy, France. 

1. Kader Abderrahim, political scientist, Sciences Po Paris, France
2. Daniel Andler, emeritus professor of philosophy, Sorbonne Université, France
3. Jean Baubérot-Vincent, sociologist, EPHE, Paris, France
4. Etienne Balibar, philosopher, Université Paris 10 Nanterre (honoraire), France
5. Omer Bartov, historian, Brown University, US
6. Bernard Baertschi, philosopher, University of Geneva, Switzerland
7. Smadar Ben-Natan, legal scholar, University of Oregon, US
8. Sophie Bessis, historian, France/Tunisia
9. Samantha Besson, international law scholar, Collège de France, Paris, France
10. Patricia Blanchette, professor of philosophy, University of Notre Dame, US
11. José Brunner, philosopher, Tel Aviv University, Israel
12. Vincent Bourdeau, philosopher, University Marie & Louis Pasteur, France
13. John Broome, philosopher, University of Oxford, UK
14. Florence Caeymaex, philosopher, Université de Liège, Belgium
15. Denis Charbit, political scientist, The Open University of Israel
16. Françoise Champion, sociologist, CNRS, France
17. Martine Cohen, sociologist, CNRS, France
18. Philippe Corcuff, professor in political sciences, Sciences Po Lyon, France
19. John M. Coetzee, novelist, linguist, Nobel Prize in Literature (2003), Australia
20. Claire Crignon, philosopher, University of Lorraine, France
21. Pierre Crétois, philosopher, Bordeaux-Montaigne University, France
22. Jonathan Dancy, philosopher, University of Texas at Austin, US / University of Reading, UK
23. Faisal Devji, historian, University of Oxford, UK
24. Elodie Djordjevic, legal philosopher, Université Panthéon-Assas, France
25. Philippe Descola, anthropologist, emeritus professor at the Collège de France, Paris, France
26. Didier Fassin, anthropologist & sociologist, Collège de France, Paris, France
27. Michele Fellous, sociologist, CNRS, France
28. Dani Filc, political scientist, Ben Gurion University, Israel
29. Franck Fregosi, political scientist, CNRS, France
30. Marc-Antoine Gavray, philosopher, Université de Liège / FRS-FNRS, Belgium
31. Jonathan Glover, King’s College, London, UK
32. Jonathan Gombin, philosopher, Bordeaux-Montaigne University, France
33. Simona Ginsburg, historian of sciences, Open University of Israel
34. Raphael Greenberg, archaeologist, Tel Aviv University, Israel
35. Eva Jablonka, historian of sciences, Tel Aviv University, Israel
36. Smaïn Laacher, sociologist, Université de Strasbourg, France
37. Yael Lavi, philosopher, Tel Aviv University, Israel
38. Vincent Lemire, professor of history, Paris-Est / Gustave Eiffel Univ., France
39. Alison Light, historian and writer, Honorary Fellow Pembroke College, Oxford, UK
40. Françoise Longy, philosopher, Université Strasbourg, France
41. Mili Mass, anthropologist, Hebrew University (retired), Israel
42. Todd May, philosopher, US
43. Jeff McMahan, philosopher, University of Oxford, Emeritus, UK
44. James McDougall, historian, Trinity College, Oxford, UK
45. Darrel Moellendorf, political theorist & philosopher, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
46. Gilad Nir, philosopher, Institut für Philosophie, Universität Potsdam, Germany
47. Jonas Pardo, independent researcher, France
48. Alain Policar, political scientist, Sciences Po, Paris, France
49. Jean-Yves Pranchère, political scientist, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
50. Pierre-Yves Quiviger, philosopher of law, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, France
51. Jacques Rancière, philosopher, Université Paris 8, France
52. Manuel Rebuschi, philosopher, University of Lorraine, France
53. Ofra Rechter, philosophie, Tel-Aviv University, Israel
54. Jérôme Segal, philosopher, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
55. Yonatan Shemmer, philosopher, The University of Sheffield, UK
56. Peter Singer, philosopher, Princeton University (Emeritus), US & National University of Singapore
57. Marta Spranzi, philosopher, University of Versailles St-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France
58. Roni Tzoreff, philosopher, Israel
59. Sridhar Venkatapuram, philosopher, King’s College, London, UK

Below, the signatories who supported the petition after the publication – the list will be constantly updated

1. Jean-Claude Acquaviva — musician & composer, France
2. Frédéric Alexandre — emeritus professor of geography, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, France
3. Alya Aglan — historian, Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne, France
4. Eric Alliez — philosopher, Université Paris 8, France
5. Pierre Allorant — professor of history of law and institution, Dean of the faculty of Law in Orléans, France
6. Massimo Amato  –  professor of economic history, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy
7. Françoise Atlani-Voisin — linguist, France
8. Jean-Christophe Attias — professor, École pratique des hautes études (PSL University), France
9. Mehdi Azaiez — Professor of Islamic Studies (Catholic university of Louvain, Belgium)
10. Mohamed Badaoui — former associate professor at the Université du Littoral & SKEMA, France
11. Jérôme Baron — artistic director, France
12. Sophie Basch — professor of literature, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
13. Agnès Bastien  —  EHESS, France
14. Irene Bellier  —  senior researcher (emerita) at the CNRS, France
15. Elysabeth Bénali-Léonard — economist, academic teacher, France
16. Zaïneb Ben Lagha — researcher in Arabic literature, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, France
17. Esther Benbassa — emeritus professor, École pratique des hautes études (PSL University)
18. Bertrand Berche — professor of physics, Université de Lorraine, France
19. Harry Bernas — physicist (emeritus), CNRS, France
20. Christian Berner — philosophy professor (emeritus), Paris Nanterre, France
21. Fabienne Berton — former socio-economist, Conservatoire national des Arts et Métiers, France
22. Michèle Bertrand — emeritus professor, France
23. Sandra Bessis — musician, France
24. Lionel Bessout — physician, Papeete, Polynésie française
25. Laurent Billard — documentarist, France
26. Bernard Binetruy — researcher in genetics, INSERM, France
27. Pierre Biton — psychoanalyst, France
28. Bernard Bloch — theatre artist, France
29. Jérôme Bourdon — professor of communication, Tel Aviv University, University Paris Panthéon Assas
30. Mohamed Salah Bouzidi — biologist, UCSF
31. Fabienne Brion — professor of law, Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium
32. Claude Calame — Directeur d’études, EHESS, Paris, France
33. Maria Luisa Cesoni — professor (emeritus) UCLouvain, Belgium
34. Michèle Chadeisson — philosopher, indepednent, France
35. Monique Chemillier-Gendreau — professor (emerita) of law at the University Paris-Cité, France
36. Patrick Chemla — psychiatrist and psychanalyst, France
37. Bruno Chiambretto — architect, France
38. Marie christine Closon — professor of health economics, UCL, Belgium
39. Philippe Coulangeon — sociologist, CNRS, France
40. Bruno Cousin — sociologist, Sciences Po, France
41. Joseph Danan — professor (emeritus) and writer, Sorbonne Nouvelle, France
42. Michèle Dancourt — Professor honoraire université de Nanterre, France
43. Mathieu Delaveau — theatre artist and teacher
44. Pascale Delormas — professor of linguistic (emerita), Sorbonne université, Paris, France
45. Sophie Desrosiers — EHESS, France
46. Agnes Devictor — historian of Iranian cinema, Université Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne, France
47. Ludo De Witte — author, Belgium
48. Jean-Marc Dollet — physician and researcher, Médecins du Monde
49. Sylvie Dollet — professor of literature and communication, Université de Lorraine, France
50. Didier Dreyfuss — professor emeritus of medicine, Université Paris Cité, France
51. Michèle Driguez — Paul Valery University, France
52. Martin Eden — independent researcher and activist, France
53. Nacer El Kadiri — Fondation Aboubakr El Kadiri, Morocco
54. Meriem El Karoui — bologist, CNRS, France
55. Bouthaïna El Kettani — physician and researcher, Rabat, Morocco
56. Róza El-Hassan — artist and researcher
57. Gilbert Elkaïm — administrateur général honoraire de l’Etat, France
58. Elsa Epis — actress, France
59. Verónica Estay Stange — semiotician, associate professor at Université Paris Cité, France
60. Georges Yoram Federmann — psychiatrist, Strasbourg, France
61. Jamal Fikri — physician
62. Aurélie Filippetti — former French minister of culture, France
63. Marc Fleurbaey — CNRS, Paris School of Economics, France
64. Jean-Michel Frodon — journalist and teacher, France
65. Alain Galaski — activist, Belgium
66. Paul Ghils — professor (emeritus) of languages and international relations, Univ. Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
67. Guglielmo Giordano — former Head of the Italian Coopération Agency in Jerusalem
68. Laetitia Giuntini — artist and teacher
69. Dominique Glaymann — sociologist (emeritus), professor at Evry University, France
70. Stéphane Gompertz — former French ambassador
71. Gilbert Gosset — artist, France
72. Caroline Gruson — professor of algebraic geometry, Université de Lorraine, France
73. Marc Guégan — agronomist, France
74. Laurence Herault — anthropologist, Aix-Marseille Université, France
75. Catherine Herszberg — writer, France
76. Isabelle Herszberg — former professional educator, France
77. Elisabeth Hofmann — social scientist, University Bordeaux Montaigne and Les Afriques dans le Monde, France
78. Lejla Horchani — researcher in mathematics, Tunisia
79. Renato Janine Ribeiro — former Minister of Education of Brazil (2015)
80. Elyès Jouini — Université Paris Dauphine-PSL, France
81. Pierre Khalfa — economist, Fondation Copernic, France
82. Laila Kjiri — researcher in algorithmics, Morocco
83. Étienne Koechlin — neuroscientist, Ecole Normale Supérieure & INSERM
84. Stathis Kouvelakis — philosopher, indepednent, France
85. Serge Kribus — play writer
86. Daniel Kupferstein — movie director, France
87. Mohammed el Mehdi Lahlou — University Mohammed V-Rabat, Morocco
88. Hadrien Laroche — Sciences Po / INHA, France
89. Stéphanie Latte Abdallah — political anthropologist, CNRS Research Director (CéSor-EHESS), Paris, France
90. Serge Legrand-Vall — écrivain / writer, France
91. Christophe Lherbier — physician / medical doctor, France
92. Jonathan Littell — writer & filmmaker, Prix Goncourt recipient in 2006, France
93. Michaël Löwy — sociologist (emeritus), CNRS, France
94. Samuel Loutaty — journalist, France
95. Jean louis Mandel — professor (emeritus) of human genetics, Collège de France & Université de Strasbourg, France
96. Jean-Pierre Marchand — philosopher, Ecole de l’Architecture de Nancy, France
97. Kamala Marius — professor of geography, University of Bordeaux Montaigne, France
98. Catherine Markstein — medical doctor, Belgium
99. Annick Martin — honorary professor of history, Université Rennes 2, Fra,ce
100. Mathias Jean Martin — Mines Paris PSL
101. Laure Mourgue d’Algue — public school teacher, France
102. Yves Mourier — former teacher, France
103. Isabelle Martin Kamieniak — psychanalyst, France
104. Evelyne Kuhn — former teacher, France
105. Charlotte Lacoste — associate professor of literature, Université de Lorraine, France
106. Hervé Le Crosnier — technology studies professor, University of Caen & book editor, France
107. David Martinon — French ambassador to South Africa
108. Richard Matthews — bioethicist, Bond University, Australia
109. Seamas McSwiney — filmmaker, France
110. Pascal Menoret — anthropologist, University of Oxford, UK
111. Fabienne Messica — Ligue des Droits de l’Homme, France
112. Mohammed Meziane — pharmacist, France
113. Monique Michaëlis — psychologist, France
114. Odile Mojon — Schiller Institute, Germany
115. Emeric Moriau — Université Paris Cité, France
116. Pierre Moulin — social psychologist, Univeristy of Lorraine, France
117. Philippe Nabonnand — professor of history of sciences, Université de Lorraine, France
118. Mustapha Nadi — professor of biomedical electronics, Université de Lorraine, France
119. Jolene Carita Naylen — poet, France
120. Chiara Nencioni — university of Pisa, Italy
121. Kim Sang Ong Van Cung — Université Bordeaux Montaigne
122. Celso Pansera — SBPC Brasil
123. Patrice Paoli — former French ambassador
124. Pascale Parlier — management consultant, France
125. Jérôme Payen — International Centre for Local Development Studies
126. Paolo Pezzino — historian, university of Pisa, Italy
127. Thomé Pierre — former educator, France
128. Christopher Pollmann — professor of public law, Université de Lorraine, France
129. Laurent Quint — physician & researcher, France
130. Christelle Rabier — EHESS, France
131. Solal Raiman — independent researcher, France
132. Alain Raynaud — bloger, authors, PCF member, France
133. Jean Roche — former director of scientific culture center
134. Irène Rosier-Catach — senior researcher (emerita) at CNRS & EPHE, France
135. Sophie Roux — philosopher of sciences, Ecole normale supérieure, France
136. Christian Salmon  –  writer and researcher, France
137. Sarah Sameur — avocate au Barreau de Paris, France
138. Filipe Santos — political activist
139. Nadra Saouli — journalist, France
140. Gisèle Sapiro — sociologist, professor at the EHESS, Paris, France
141. Catherine Sauviat — IRES, France
142. Franziska Schaffner — High school for design and art, Zürich, Switzerland
143. Carlos Schmerkin — Observatoire de l’Argentine Contemporaine
144. Amine Senouci Bereksi — avocat au barreau de Paris, France
145. Miriam Simon — emeritus curator, City of Paris, France
146. Alain Simon — researcher in geopolitics, University of Rennes, France
147. Patrick Simon — Ined, France
148. Gilbert Sinoué — writer & historian
149. Sylvain Sorin — mathematician, emeritus professor, Sorbonne University, France
150. Fouzia Soussi — public education worker, France
151. Jean Paul Sozedde — writer, France
152. Ted Stolze — emeritus philosophy professor, Cerritos College
153. Marilyn Strathern — social anthropologist (emeritus), University of Cambridge, UK
154. Raphaël Szőllősy — associate professor of film studies, Université de Strasbourg, France
155. Benoît Tadié — professor of American literature, Université Paris Nanterre, France
156. Hossein Tamjidi — associate professor, IRIBU, Iran
157. Michèle Tauber — professor of Hebrew literature, Université de Strasbourg, France
158. Liliane Terrier — associate professor (MCF) of arts, Université Paris 8, France
159. Ann Thomson — professor emerita of Intellectual History, European University Institute
160. Isabelle Touton — associate professor of hispanic literatures, Université Bordeaux Montaigne, France
161. Juliette Tricot — associate professor in law, Université Paris Nanterre, France
162. Satoshi Ukai — emeritus professor of philosophy, Hitotsubashi University, Japan
163. Yann Vacher — PhD in educational sciences, Université de Corse, France
164. Joëlle Vailly — sociologist, CNRS, France
165. Boris Valentin — archaeologist, University Paris 1, France
166. Claude Valentin — physician and former professor at the University of René Descartes, France
167. Sarah Vandecasteele — social and clinical psychologist, France
168. Karel Vereycken — Schiller Institute, Germany
169. Laure Vermeersch — cinéaste / movie director, France
170. Joël Vernet — écrivain / writer, France
171. Leïla Vignal — geographer, Ecole Normale Supérieure, France
172. Orsina Visconti  –  textile design professor at Ensad, Paris, France
173. Paul Villoutreix — INSERM, France
174. Chris Willott — King’s College London, UK
175. Michèle Zémor — Université Paris Saclay, France
176. Agnès Zissmann — former judge, France
177. Mounir Zouiten — Université Mohammed V de Rabat, Morocco