Why is Israel ignoring the next Palestinian president?

Israel will never release Marwan Barghouti. They do not want any Palestinian leader who can unite the people . They want to keep the Palestinians divided between the ineffectual Abbas and Hamas. Israel knows that Marwan Barghouti as president would unite the Palestinian people who would at long last stand together and demand their rights, their rights as human beings and their rights as the centuries long inhabitants of the land.

This is the judgment of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, which points out that the only evidence against Barghouti was the testimony of Shin Bet. There were 21 witnesses who could have testified to Barghouti's involvement in murders; all refused to. This is trial and conviction, Israeli style.

Why talk when everything is going to plan and the world does nothing? If the Palestinians were led by a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize they'd still claim there was no-one to talk to. Oh hang on...

Because it ignore any peace deal and Netanyhu believes he is the PM of Palestine too.

The question is not whether the Palestinians want peace. It is whether Israel wants peace. Peace and settlements cannot co exist. Natanyahu knows that and that's why he continues to build and expand them.

Importnat!

between Marwan Barghouti and members of Hamas because both will not give up on the right of return and are fearless to conflict with Israel. That's no reason to advocate for his release to be Palestinian President. Realistically, any Palestinian refugees should return to the new Palestinian state and finalize conflict with Israel.

If Bargouti is more popular than Hamas, it is because he is viewed by the Arabs populating the West Bank and Gaza as antithetical to Israel's existence and more dangerous than Hamas. Therefore, unless Israel is suicidal, why would it ever want to let him out of prison?

Bibi will only recognize Palestine, when nothing remains of it.

When Nelson Mandela was released from jail and led the ANC against apartheid Nelson Mandela was not previously convicted with murder. Giving a nod to Barghoutti while in the same breath really ignoring his past makes the writer the wrong person to take orders from.

Menachem Begin certainly had blood on his hands.

Begin and Shamir commanded 300 men (and women) in their terrorist groups, and in two years they killed about 400 civilians. Despite that, they both were elected to lead Israel. Begin, when PM, was on an official visit to Britian, and there still was an open murder warrant on him, as he sent an agent to the UK who killed the brother of a Brit officer serving in Palestine. Balliffs from the family chased Begin throughout his official visit trying to touch Begin, which would have put him under arrest. He evaded arrest. Why not Barghouti?

And that is why Israel has not had peace nor will it. But there is a more important issue: Those who believe in such horrific faulty reasoning, bordering on mental illness, are more culpable than the murderers themselves.

do not speak to him. Let him rot in jail- forever.

It has done this mistake in the past, but hopefully will never again repeat it.

If israeli leaders were taken to a palestinian court of justice they would be convicted of murders. The palestinians are dealing with murderers and have no choice but signing peace with them.

And therefore nothing will seriously advance for the Palestinians on the ground. To the victor the spoils and the Palestinians should be happy that they have a nice victor in Israel who is still willing to seriously negotiate with them in a truly peaceful setting and make painful concessions only if they're fully trusted. Otherwise Israel will be forced into continuing to reinforce its hard fought for strategic depth no matter what the world who doesn't have to share the Jewish State's imminent danger, thinks.

What about the civilians who were killed on his order? Are they going to return? Shall we release Sa'adat also? Shall we release the crackpots from Hamas & Islamic Jihad? He must serve his sentence, The relatives of his victims are 100% against this outlandish theory of yours & so is 95% of Israel.

Yes, and this has proven to be a mistake.

and we should not help going worse. palestinians will need to learn how to choose their leaders at some point in the future and we should not patronize them. the need to grow as an adult.

So why not Barghouti ?