I have for some time hoped that the charismatic Marwan Barghouti could in some middle distant future be released from jail and become the new Nelson Mandela who could be able to bring about a political solution and eventually peace to Palestine. This view has been reinforced by your article "Abuse of jailed Palestinian leader Barghouti amounts to torture" in The Observer" on May 19th. and it is time that Britain's political leadership should seek to make representations on his behalf to the current less belligerent members of the Israeli government. Barghouti is not a member of Hamas, but enjoys the support of so many of his people, whether Fatah, Hamas or politically uncommitted. The Israelis consider him a terrorist, but Mandela was also condemned as a terrorist in his day, and Yasser Arafat's crimes did not prevent Israel from making a deal with him subsequently. The crazed Netanyahu/Hamas blood bath must stop and it is time for adults like Marwan Barghouti and Benny Gantz to take over.
