Hamas ‘saves unification leader Barkuti’ Israel surprise raid final ‘hostage exchange’
It was revealed that Hamas' negotiations for 100 Israeli hostages have reached a stalemate in 'Saving Unity Leader Barkuti'.
The AP reported on the 3rd that Marwan Barghouti, a 20-year prisoner who is revered in Palestine as South Africa's Nelson Mandela, is at issue in the final negotiations for the release of about 100 hostages held by Hamas, despite being a political rival of Hamas.
“Hamas’ gamble to release him appears to be an attempt to rally public support for the militant group and acknowledge his status as the only unifying Palestinian figure,” the AP said. “He is regarded by some Palestinians as a Nelson Mandela.” He is a strong candidate to become president in the future and is the most famous person among the prisoners held by Israel.”
The exchange for the release of Israeli prisoner Marwan Barghouti is the final deadlock in ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel.
Hamas leaders on Thursday demanded the release of Barghouti, the leader of the militant group's main political rival, as part of a deal to end fighting in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas's top political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, and Osama Hamdan, a senior Beirut-based official, said today: "We are demanding the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners detained for actions related to the conflict with Israel, including those serving life sentences. “He officially mentioned the names of two people, including Palestinian uprising leader Marwan Barghouti.
Hamas leader Hamdan has called for the release of all of the 9,000 Palestinian prisoners currently in Israeli prisons, but only two names, Barghouti and Ahmad Saadat, were mentioned in his remarks today.
Sadat, who has called for his release, led a small faction that killed an Israeli cabinet minister in 2001 and is serving a 30-year sentence for his role in the attack.
Barghouti, who received more attention, is a Palestinian member of the Fatah Party, led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, which competes with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Barghouti, 64, is seen as the natural successor to Abbas, the 88-year-old leader of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, an autonomous government that administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. He emerged as a respected leader.
AP responded to this announcement by saying, “Hamdan’s remarks about the prisoners were the most detailed demands made publicly by this group,” and that the release of Barghouti was the biggest key to the hostage exchange.
Kadura Fares, who has long led the department negotiating the release of Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, responded to these remarks by saying, “Hamas wants to show the Palestinian people that they are not a closed movement,” adding, “They are a part of the Palestinian social community.” represents some. “They’re trying to look responsible,” he told the AP.
Palestinians have not held an election since 2006, when Hamas in the Ghazi district won a majority in parliament, and Abbas, head of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, has lost support and is unpopular due to corruption within his ranks and security cooperation with the Israeli military.
Last December, a wartime opinion poll ranked Barghouti as the most popular politician among Palestinians, ahead of Abbas and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.
“If Barghouti is released, he could become a consensus candidate in new elections that Hamas, Fatah and other Palestinian factions could support,” Fares, the release negotiator, told the AP.
Israel has declared prisoner Barghouti a terrorist, so negotiations for his release appear to be an uphill battle.
Barghouti, who was the leader of the West Bank during the second Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s, is serving a five-year prison sentence for his role in several deadly attacks.
The Palestinian uprising saw Palestinian militants launch deadly suicide bombings and shooting attacks in the West Bank, targeting buses, restaurants, hotels and Israelis driving by.
In 2002, Barghouti was arrested and placed in the international spotlight for refusing to acknowledge court authority and failing to defend himself on murder charges.
During his imprisonment, he led more than 1,500 prisoners on a 40-day fast demanding improved treatment in Israeli prisons.
He is seeking to create a Palestinian state in both the West Bank, his birthplace, and Hamas' Gaza Strip, as well as east Jerusalem, which Israel occupied in the 1967 war.
Barghouti was born in the West Bank town of Khobar in 1962, majored in history and politics at Bir Zeit University, and became a leader in student protests against the Israeli occupation.
He emerged as an organizer in the first Palestinian uprising, which broke out in December 1987, and Israel exiled him to Jordan.
He returned to the West Bank in the 1990s as part of an interim peace agreement to create a Palestinian state. A second uprising led to the collapse of the peace agreement and he became the political leader of the Fatah militant group.
Israel has previously rejected calls for his release.
In 2011, Hamas included him in the exchange of more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for a soldier it had held in Gaza, an offer Israel rejected.
Yehya Sinwar, the current leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the mastermind behind the surprise attack on October 7 last year, was released in exchange for a deal at the time.
AP said, “The 2011 hostage negotiations centered on the release of one hostage,” and “With the lives of more than 100 hostages currently at risk, Israel is under more pressure than ever to release Palestinian prisoners, and a deal is being made.” “If so, the conditions could be ripe for a negotiation that could secure Barghouti’s release and at the same time strengthen Hamas’s position among the Palestinians,” he said.
“Hamas is stronger and smarter than ever,” Fares, the negotiator, told the AP. “They understand how necessary it is for the Palestinian people to have an agreement.”