Who is Marwan Barghouti? Is he Palestine's Mandela?

Source: Middle East Eye June 5, 2024

Who is Marwan Barghouti? The man whose release has been demanded by Hamas as part of any potential ceasefire deal.

Often dubbed Palestine's Nelson Mandela. Is he a terrorist or a political leader who Palestinians could unite around? Marwan was politically active from the age of 15, consulted on the Oslo Accords and eventually led the Fatah party in the West Bank.

To this day, he is seen by many as crucial for unifying Palestinians and reviving peace efforts whilst the Israeli government views him as a terrorist and is wary of his popularity and ability to mobilise Palestinians. Could this man be the key to reviving peace talks?

Here's a condensed version of Barghouti's political history and his hope to run for the next the Palestinian presidential elections.