After denying participation in any meeting with Israeli figures, Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti confessed to the event following the release of a video showing him embracing former Israeli minister Shlomo Ben Ami, saying: "It is a great honor for me to be with Shlomo Ben Ami." The video sparked widespread outrage against Barghouti, and the anger was not limited to the hugging video but also included recorded statements that contradict his previous positions. He said: "I am against killing Palestinians and Israelis. You all know me."
He called for international forces to be deployed in Gaza and advocated for the establishment of a single state with Israelis, expressing sympathy for the Jewish people. He stated: "I empathize with the Jewish people who suffered from the Holocaust and anti-Semitism." He continued, stating that historic Palestine is Israel and the occupied territories and emphasized: "The best solution is a single state, Arabs and Jews with equal rights for all."
He reiterated the call for international forces in the Gaza Strip and added: "If the world guarantees a Palestinian state in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem, then Hamas will agree." These scenes opened the floodgates of attack against Barghouti, forcing him to retract and issue a statement confirming his participation in a seminar attended by Shlomo Ben Ami, who previously held the portfolios of foreign affairs and internal security in Israel. Barghouti mentioned that he visited Italy to meet with leaders of parliamentary blocks supporting the Palestinian people, and due to time constraints, he did not have enough opportunity to get to know all the participants.