Amidst the war with Israel, Hamas has demanded the freedom of 'Nelson Mandela' of Palestine. Marwan Barghouti is the leader of President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party and some Palestinians see him as the country's next president. He has been in Israeli jail for more than two decades. It is being said that Hamas has demanded his release to improve its image.
The war between Israel and Hamas has been going on for more or less four months and the pressure to end the war is increasing. The effort is to have a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and to release the hostages from Hamas's captivity. In return, Hamas also has some expectations from Israel. The demand for the release of Palestinians is important for Hamas, but Hamas's recent demand has drawn the world's attention towards Barghouti.
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Hamas wants to improve its image!
It is said about Marwan Barghouti that he is a central leader of Palestinian politics. If he is released, political ground can be prepared for him in the Palestinian Authority elections. Hamas wants the support of Palestinians through the freedom of Barghouti, due to which it is being said that thousands of civilians, children and women lost their lives in Gaza.
“Hamas wants to show the Palestinian people that they are not a closed movement. They lead part of the Palestinian social community,” Kadoura Fares, head of the Palestinian Ministry of Prisoner Affairs in the occupied West Bank, was quoted as saying by a news agency. “They're trying to look responsible.” In the midst of more or less four months of war, an appeal is being made again for a ceasefire. Meanwhile, senior Hamas leader Osama Hamdan appealed for the release of Barghouti.
Who is Marwan Barghouti?
Marwan Barghouti is the leader of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party. Palestinians see 64-year-old Barghouti as the natural successor to 88-year-old Abbas. Abbas leads the Palestine Authority and rules over parts of the West Bank. Gaza is ruled only by Hamas and Hamas fighters ousted Abbas's forces from Gaza in 2007 and allegedly captured the city. Since then, Hamas rules here and they do not accept the interference of the Palestinian Authority.
9000 Palestinians are imprisoned in Israeli jails
It is said that at least 9000 Palestinians are imprisoned in Israeli jails and Hamas wants the release of all of them. However, in the recent demand, the two people whom the Hamas leader has demanded to be released are Marwan Barghouti and the other Ahmed Saadat. Sadat heads a splinter group accused of the 2001 assassination of an Israeli cabinet minister. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his alleged involvement in the attacks and has been in jail for two decades.
27,000 people have lost their lives so far in the Gaza war
Hamas is still holding more than 130 Israeli people hostage, of which at least 20 have died. The anger of his family members is also increasing in Israel, who are continuously appealing to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to release him. Hamas also wants an end to the war in Gaza as well as the release of thousands of Palestinians. More than 27,000 Palestinians have lost their lives so far in Netanyahu's war, which started with the intention of eliminating Hamas, and Netanyahu's army has caused terrible destruction throughout Gaza.
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Elections have not been held in Palestine since 2006
Elections have not been held in Palestine since 2006, when Hamas won the parliamentary majority. Palestine Authority leaders also believe that if Barghouti is released, he can become the unanimous presidential candidate. Not only this, Barghouti's status is such that if he becomes President, he will be supported by all the parties of Palestine – Hamas, Fatah and other parties. In simple language, Palestine (Gaza plus West Bank) can unite.
According to an Associated Press report, a survey in December found that Barghouti is more popular among Palestinians than Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and President Mahmoud Abbas. However, Israel considers him an arch-terrorist. Now it remains to be seen whether President Benjamin Netanyahu agrees to his release or not.
