US Finds Palestinian Leader 'Unifying' Only When Jailed
Marwan Barghouti, serving five life sentences in Israeli prison, is consistently framed as a potential successor to Mahmoud Abbas and a 'Palestinian Mandela.' This narrative, however, conveniently sidesteps why he's jailed: for his alleged role in the Second Intifada, an uprising against continued occupation, not just 'terrorism.' The US, while occasionally acknowledging his popularity, has never
pressured Israel for his release, nor has it seriously challenged the legal framework keeping him, and thousands of other Palestinians, incarcerated. Instead, Washington funds the very system that arrests and holds figures like Barghouti. Since 1948, the US has provided Israel with over $158 billion in military aid (2023 dollars), a sum that ensures Israel's ability to maintain occupation and
judicial systems effectively outside international law. While his son seeks Trump's intervention, one might wonder: how many 'Mandela-analogues' must be jailed before the US stops funding their captors?