The Day Marwan Barghouti Flashes the 'V' Sign Once Again - Opinion - Haaretz.com
Benjamin Netanyahu thinks visually. Camera angles, victory images, maps and illustrations. If I had to guess what image scares him the most, and deters him from a comprehensive hostage deal with Hamas, I would imagine senior Fatah official Marwan Barghouti leaving Israeli prison, flashing a "V" sign with his fingers, and becoming a global hero.
From the beginning of the war, Netanyahu has evaded an "everyone for everyone" hostage deal, and until now, he has succeeded in postponing the discussion on the release of "heavy prisoners" – key figures of the Second Intifada and perpetrators of the October 7 massacre.
His coalition partners are openly calling for the sacrifice of the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza, in order to avoid the final stage of the deal. Netanyahu, as he always does, is hiding behind them, avoiding blunt statements and treating the hostages' families as a nuisance.
It's clear that Netanyahu fears the precedent of the Shalit deal in 2011, in which he released Yahya Sinwar from prison, essentially paving his way to building Hamas' army and preparing the invasion of Israel a dozen years later.
Sinwar was already then the strong figure in Hamas, but only a few outside of prison and the intelligence services knew who he was, so his release did not take a toll on Netanyahu's reputation at the time. It took a few years until it became clear how powerful he was.
In contrast, Barghouti, who has already spent 23 years behind bars due to his responsibility for attacks that killed five Israelis, is an international celebrity dubbed "the Palestinian Nelson Mandela." The moment Barghouti is free, he will immediately be cast as the face of the Palestinian state, the great hope for ending the Israeli enterprise of occupation, dispossession and apartheid in the territories.
A picture taken on 2017 near Ramallah shows a mural of Fatah leader Marwan Barghuti on a section of the separation barrier.Credit: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP
Netanyahu has dedicated his life to thwarting the establishment of an independent Palestine, and since returning to power in 2009, he has succeeded – with his wisdom and guilefulness – in repelling all pressure to advance the two-state solution, and the idea faded and dried up.
Until, it was revived in recent weeks, when key Western countries grew weary of the horror images from Gaza and decided to rebel against the absolute American backing of Israel. Recognition of Palestine has become the new bon ton, similar to the European recognition of the PLO in the 1980s, which gradually led to the Oslo Accords.
But every story needs a hero, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas struggles with the part, as he lacks charisma or popular support. He was, and remains, the gray and unpopular heir of Yasser Arafat. The current wave of recognition of Palestine, ostensibly the peak of his diplomatic achievements, caught him unprepared – and irrelevant.
Barghouti represents a different generation, has a proven record as a leader of "the resistance," enjoys international recognition and comes with the promising image of a new Mandela. If released, he will immediately stand as Netanyahu's main rival on the world stage.
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There is much irony in Netanyahu's situation. Instead of the massive killing and destruction that Israel is wreaking in Gaza, leading the Palestinians to despair and surrender, while fulfilling the prime minister's fantasy of their disappearance, it has brought back to the top of the agenda the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, the nightmare haunting his political life.
Displaced Palestinians travel on carts and vehicles through a makeshift camp along the beach in Gaza City, on Sunday.Credit: Jehad Alshrafi/AP
Netanyahu responded by raising the stakes, threatening to complete the destruction of Gaza and the expulsion of its residents, so that the Palestinian state will have no citizens.
The exercise that the IDF conducted a few days ago for the scenario of "invasion from the east" hints at intentions of transferring Palestinians from the West Bank as well, following up on the expulsions on a local level carried out by the settler militias.
In the face of growing international pressure and the quiet rebellion in the military, it is doubtful that Netanyahu can succeed in his plot of mass expulsion. But he will continue to thwart the deal that would free the leader of future Palestine, and the tortured, miserable Israeli hostages in Hamas's tunnels will continue to pay the price.