AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): A growing international campaign is gaining momentum to secure the release of Marwan Barghouti, the veteran Palestinian political figure who has spent more than two decades in “Israeli” detention.
Supporters argue that Barghouti — widely regarded as the only leader able to bridge political, geographic, and generational divides — should play a central role in ongoing truce-related talks.
With the backing of UK civil society organizations, Barghouti’s family in the West Bank is pushing to place his imprisonment firmly on diplomatic agendas.
Public opinion surveys over many years consistently show Barghouti as the most trusted Palestinian leader in both the West Bank and Gaza, where he is viewed as a symbol of resistance, dignity, and continuity.
The campaign is increasingly visible worldwide. In London, artist Calum Hall has painted murals reading “Free Marwan,” while a major installation honoring Barghouti has been unveiled in his hometown of Kobar near Ramallah.
A statement endorsed by prominent international cultural and political figures is expected to be released next week.
Barghouti was seized by “Israeli” forces in 2002 during the second intifada and later handed five life sentences plus an additional 40 years.
He rejected the authority of the “Israeli” court, which the Inter-Parliamentary Union later criticized for serious procedural flaws.
Despite appeals from Hamas and several Gulf states, “Israel” declined to include him in the prisoner exchange tied to the October 13 ceasefire — a case former US president Donald Trump briefly weighed in on.
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