CAIRO — As Israel and Hamas appear to be inching towards a ceasefire in their months-long war in Gaza, it has been widely reported that part of a broader deal to end the war would be the release of high-profile Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
Hamas has initially demanded the release of 500 Palestinian prisoners serving lengthy jail terms in Israel, including those serving life sentences over terror-related charges. The releases would be part of a multi-stage deal to end the war and release of all Israeli hostages that Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups are holding in Gaza.
The list of prisoners that Palestinians want to see released includes several prominent names, most notably Marwan Barghouti, a charismatic leader viewed by analysts as a potential future leader of a Palestine nation who would be able to make peace with Israel.
There is also Ahmed Sadaat, the secretary general of Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, as well as Hamas leaders such as Abdallah al-Barghouti, Ibrahim Hamed and others serving life sentences in Israeli jails.
The two sides have in recent weeks engaged to establish a six-week pause of fighting before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan around March 10. Negotiations continued through the day Tuesday in the Qatari capital of Doha to bridge the gaps between Hamas and Israel, which sent representatives to the talks.
U.S. President Joe Biden has said a deal could be established as early as Monday.
Major Reversal
There are other key outstanding issues, such as terms of aid convoys, the return of all displaced civilians (women and men over 50 years old) to northern Gaza and redeployment of Israeli troops out of densely populated areas across the strip, the rehabilitation of hospitals and bakeries.
Still, the prisoner-hostages question may be the most prickly. According to two Egyptian officials with knowledge of the ongoing negotiations, Israel has gestured that it could release some of high-profile Palestinian prisoners serving for terror-related charges.
That’s a major reversal for Israel’s long history of rejecting the release of high-profile prisoners .
The offer, which was worked out by the U.S., includes the release of over a dozen high profile Palestinian prisoners in return for Israeli female soldiers held by Hamas, the officials said.
The initial proposal has yet to name those Palestinian prisoners, they said. However, the names of Marwan Barghouti, dubbed as the “Nelson Mandela of the Palestinians,” has been brought to the negotiating table, said the officials. No decision has been made yet.
Barghouti is a member of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party, and is seen as a natural successor to the 88-year-old Abbas, who leads the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The 65-year-old Barghouti, who was detained in 2002, is serving five life terms for his alleged role in several deadly attacks during the Palestinian second Intifada, or uprising, in the 2000s. At the time of the uprising, Palestinian militants launched deadly suicide bombings and shooting attacks in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Mandela of Palestine?
Barghouti is seen as the most popular Palestinian politician, in both Gaza and the West Bank, and analysts say that he could become a consensus candidate in a round of new elections that Hamas, Fatah and other Palestinian factions could rally behind.
Earlier this month, al-Sharq news outlet quoted an unnamed Hamas senior official as saying that the release of Barghouti would be a starting point to overhaul the Palestinian political regime and establish a partnership between Hamas and Fatah.
“Even if Marwan is not released in the first phase of the (prisoner) exchange, he will certainly be released in the second phase, as the process cannot be completed without releasing him and his colleagues sentenced to life imprisonment,” the official said.
Sadaat's Fate
Most Israelis see Barghouti as an arch-terrorist. The government had rejected his release during the 2011 prisoner exchange deal that saw the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in return for over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners including Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar.
Earlier this month, Israeli authorities isolated Barghouti in the maximum-security Ayalon prison, and prevented him from communicating with his lawyers, according to his family.
Another Palestinian leader Hamas wants his release is Ahmed Saadat, the secretary general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The 71-year-old Sadaat was initially jailed by the Palestinian Authority in Jericho around 2002.
Israel stormed the Palestinian Authority-run prison and took Saadat and five other inmates.
An Israeli court sentenced Saadat to 30 years in prison over alleged terror-related charges. Like Barghouti, Israel rejected his release during the 2011 prisoner exchange deal.
Saadat’s release is viewed as consolidating the position of the PFLP, as well as Hamas which has seen its popularity surge to unprecedented levels among Palestinians in recent months.
The Egyptian officials said negotiations for the release of high profile Palestinian prisoners will be subject to separate negotiations, which would include the release of Israeli soldiers captured by Hamas.