The Israeli public’s desire to bring home all of the hostages from Gaza is forcing hard choices for Israel’s rightwing government, which has tried to resist Hamas’s demands that Israeli hostages be exchanged for specific Palestinians held prisoner by Israel, including some who took part in the 7 October attacks on Israeli civilians. The situation has put a spotlight on one man in particular – the Palestinian nationalist Marwan Barghouti, who may be the most important prisoner of all.
Hamas, an Islamist group that has traditionally been bitter rivals with Barghouti’s secular Fatah faction, is now demanding Barghouti’s release from Israeli prison if Israel wants the hostages returned. Even if Israel refuses this demand, Hamas wins support from Barghouti’s supporters.
