Rep. Ro Khanna Calls on Israel to Release Marwan Barghouti, Convicted of Five Murders
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U.S. Representative Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California, called on Friday for Israel to release Marwan Barghouti from prison in a video posted on X. "Palestinians must choose their own leaders," Khanna said, arguing that Barghouti has unique standing among Palestinian factions and "could deliver a Palestinian state living in peace with Israel." He said a release would not give Barghouti "a pardon or moral absolution of crimes he may have committed." Barghouti, a senior Fatah figure, was convicted by an Israeli court in 2004 of five murders and sentenced to five life terms. He has rejected the Israeli court's authority.