Hamas is demanding that Israel release a high-profile Palestinian terror mastermind and political leader who is viewed by some Palestinians as a Nelson Mandela-like figure.
As part of ongoing ceasefire talks with Israel, senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan called for Marwan Barghouti’s release.
Barghouti, 64, is the leader of Yasser Arafat’s Fatah party, Hamas’ main political rival in the Gaza Strip.
He was arrested in Ramallah in the West Bank in 2002 and is serving several life sentences for his role in various deadly attacks during the second Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s.
“Hamas wants to show the Palestinian people that they are not a closed movement. They represent part of the Palestinian social community. They are trying to appear responsible,” Qadoura Fares, who heads the Ministry of Palestinian Prisoner Affairs in the occupied West Bank, said of Hamas’ interest in freeing a popular figure from a rival party.
Many Palestinians see Barghouti as a natural successor to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, whose forces in Gaza were overrun by Hamas in 2007.
Marwan Barghouti is pictured during his trial in Tel Aviv in 2002. AP Hamas is demanding that Israel release a high-profile Palestinian terrorist mastermind and political leader who is viewed by some Palestinians as a figure like Nelson Mandela. AP Marwan Barghouti makes a victory sign during a court appearance in 2012. AP
The Palestinians have not held elections since 2006, when Hamas achieved a parliamentary majority.
If Barghouti is released, Fares explained, he could be a candidate that Hamas, Fatah, and other Palestinian factions can rally behind.
An opinion poll published in December showed that Barghouti is still the most popular politician among Palestinians.
Barghouti is still a popular political icon for the Palestinian people. AP
Meanwhile, Israeli negotiators intend to free the remaining 100 hostages who have been held by Hamas since the October 7 terrorist attack.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
