Save the Ceasefire. Free Marwan Barghouti

posted on: Oct 28, 2025

By Ghassan Rubeiz/Arab America Contributing Writer

The ceasefire in Gaza is as fragile as ever. Hamas, despite being in tatters, still considers itself the leading Palestinian resistance movement. It takes credit for the diplomatic isolation of Israel; it has not lost its popularity in the Arab and Muslim world; it is aware of the absence of any other credible Palestinian leadership; it has no respect for the Palestinian Authority; and it sees no reason to lay down its arms without some kind of face-saving compromise.

Meanwhile, in a moving open letter last week, several hundred Jewish leaders from around the world expressed their grave concerns about Israel’s current government and its war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank, arguing that peace is unreachable if Israel continues on its current trajectory. The letter provides firm evidence that a large number of Jews, both inside Israel and in the Diaspora, are eager for a real dialogue with the Palestinians about the future.

But Israel can’t have that dialogue by itself.

Right now, a single decision on the part of the Israeli government could change things overnight: finally releasing Marwan Barghouti. Barghouti has been held in Israeli jails for the past 23 years, and commands the respect of Hamas, the secular Fatah Party, Islamic Jihad, and most other Palestinian factions. Israel knows exactly what Barghouti’s positions are, and how effective he would be as a negotiating partner. In the talks which led to the current ceasefire, Barghouti was at the top of the list of prisoners Hamas wanted released, but Netanyahu refused; instead, the list of 250 released Palestinians included a large number of rank-and-file resistance fighters. But the chances for Barghouti’s release will increase as Trump’s negotiators realize that without a Palestinian leader, the current ceasefire will quickly fall apart.

Freeing a statesman with a realistic long-term plan for Israeli-Palestinian coexistence would imply a recognition that the West Bank is Palestinian land, not “Judea and Samaria”. It would be an admission that any plan for the reconstruction of Gaza that simultaneously seizes a larger and more central Palestinian territory is doomed. Having Barghouti engaged in the negotiations opens up the possibility of long-term coexistence between Palestinians and Israelis, and would allow Hamas to save face by handing its arms over to real Palestinian leadership.

The choice before Israel and the international community is stark. Keeping Barghouti imprisoned preserves the status quo: fratricidal violence, failed negotiations, and ever-deepening despair. Freeing Barghouti opens a door that has been locked for decades: the possibility of a credible Palestinian leadership that can unite factions, negotiate in good faith, and transform resistance into state-building. The question is not whether Barghouti is the perfect leader; no leader ever is. The question is whether Israel and its allies have the courage to choose dialogue over domination.

Ghassan Rubeiz is the former Middle East Secretary of the World Council of Churches. Earlier, he taught psychology and social work in his country of birth, Lebanon, and later in the United States, where he currently lives. He has contributed to political commentary for the past twenty years and has delivered occasional public talks on peace, justice, and interfaith topics. You can reach him at rubeizg@gmail.com

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Arab America. The reproduction of this article is permissible with proper credit to Arab America and the author.

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