Fadwa Barghouti, the wife of the prominent Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, has appealed to US President Donald Trump to work to release her husband, following a statement by Trump that he would “make a decision” on the matter in the near future.
Fadwa Barghouti said in a statement to Time magazine: “Mr. President, there is a real partner waiting for you, someone who can contribute to achieving the common dream of a just and lasting peace in the region. For the freedom of the Palestinian people and the peace of future generations, help release Marwan Barghouti.”
The appeal came after an interview with Trump by Time magazine, where he was asked if he would support the release of Barghouti, who has been seen for years as a potential Palestinian leader. He replied: “I faced this question literally about 15 minutes before you called… that was my question for today. So, I’ll make a decision.”
Barghouti, 66, has been in Israeli occupation prisons since 2002, and in 2004 he was sentenced to five life sentences.
This development comes as Trump leads vigorous efforts to reach a comprehensive peace agreement in the region, following his success in imposing a ceasefire in Gaza, and as he seeks to formulate a new post-war governance framework for the sector’s population of more than two million.
Trump’s peace initiative is supported by a number of Arab governments and is considered an important turning point in the political debate about the future of the Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank, where nearly three million Palestinians live.
Despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s explicit opposition to a two-state solution, Trump’s remarks on Barghouti have revived hopes that he could intervene again in the Palestinian issue.
Among those who support the idea of releasing Barghouti is Ronald Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress and close to Trump, who told Time: “Just the fact that the president is thinking about it is an excellent step in the right direction. A two-state solution can only be achieved with a strong leader, and Marwan Barghouti is the right person for that.”
Lauder added that Israel is still holding Barghouti because it realizes that he could become a successful statesman, noting that “people who have been released in the past are much worse than him.”
Time reported that it had requested comment from the Israeli government on the matter, but had not yet received a response.
source: 961 today
