Trump mulls whether Israel should free jailed Palestinian political figure

U.S. President Donald Trump is considering whether to urge Israel to release popular Palestinian political figure Marwan Barghouti, jailed for more than 20 years and repeatedly denied his freedom by Israel.

"I am literally being confronted with that question about 15 minutes before you called," Trump told Time in an interview published on Thursday. "That was the question. That was my question of the day. So I'll be making a decision." 

In an October 15 Time interview released on Thursday, Trump said the Palestinians don't have a visible leader. He was responding to a question whether Barghouti could unite Palestinians behind a two-state solution and whether he should be released from prison despite Israel's refusal.

Barghouti, 66, was sentenced in 2004 to five life sentences and 40 years in jail after a court convicted him of orchestrating ambushes and suicide attacks on Israelis during the second Palestinian Intifada, or uprising. He has denied the charges.

As a leader of the 2000 uprising against Israel, Barghouti has maintained good relations with rival leaders from Hamas and other factions and enjoys great respect and admiration among leaders and grassroots of the Fatah movement in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Many in Fatah draw a likeness between him and the late Palestinian president Yasser Arafat.

In a 20-point, multi-phase plan, Trump this month orchestrated a ceasefire deal to end the two-year war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas that involved Israel receiving 20 remaining living hostages held in Gaza in exchange for the release of some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israel has so far also received the remains of 15 of 28 deceased hostages.

To ensure the ceasefire holds despite lingering violence, a number of top U.S. officials have visited Israel the past 10 days, led by Trump last week, followed by his envoy Steve Witkoff and former Trump envoy Jared Kushner. Vice President JD Vance was in Israel this week, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived on Thursday.

Who will govern the Palestinians is a key question.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, 89, controls parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank but Hamas runs Gaza, which has been devastated during the war. Abbas was elected in 2005 to a four-year term but subsequent elections have been repeatedly postponed.

Trump, Israel and many Western and Arab allies want Hamas -- whose October 7, 2023, raid into Israel triggered the war -- to relinquish power and disarm.