Marwan Barghouti has been imprisoned for two decades, yet many Palestinians want him to lead
Marwan Barghouti has repeatedly stated that he supports only unarmed resistance to Israel's occupation of Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank — On a wall separating Jerusalem from the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, a mural depicts Yasser Arafat, the late leader who became synonymous with the Palestinian cause, next to the man some are hoping will carry on his legacy.
His supporters have dubbed Marwan Barghouti the “Palestinian Nelson Mandela” in the hope that after more than two decades behind bars, he can emulate the late South African leader and make the journey from prisoner to national unifier.
The 65-year-old has consistently polled higher than any other leader among Palestinians as the man they would pick to be a consensus candidate for the physically and politically divided people, and his release is also supported by several high-profile Israelis, including Ami Ayalon, a former director of the country’s domestic security agency.
In a June poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, 29% of respondents picked him out as their preferred successor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, well ahead of Hamas’ leader and the alleged mastermind of the Oct. 7 terror attacks, Yahya Sinwar.
“He wants to see the Palestinians united,” Barghouti’s son, Arab Barghouti, 34, said at his home in Ramallah, adding that his father had been “very vocal and public against corruption in Palestinian politics.”
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