STATEMENT: The Elders today call for the immediate release of Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti from Israeli prison, as an important step towards reviving a lasting two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

We encourage President Trump to demand his release, capitalising on the opportunity opened up by the fragile ceasefire deal in Gaza.

The ceasefire has offered some relief to the population of Gaza but the humanitarian situation remains catastrophic. We condemn Israel's latest attacks on Gaza City as a flagrant violation of the deal. Much more pressure is still needed on Israel to end the deliberate obstruction of aid.

The ceasefire deal is only the first step towards a lasting two-state solution. This will require an Israeli government willing to support it, as well as the revitalisation of political life across the occupied Palestinian territory to ensure Palestinian voices are heard at all levels.

Marwan Barghouti has been a long-term advocate for a two-state solution by peaceful means, and is consistently the most popular Palestinian leader in opinion polls. But Israel has so far refused to release Barghouti as part of President Trump’s deal.

We condemn the ill-treatment, including torture, of Marwan Barghouti and other Palestinian prisoners, many of whom are arbitrarily detained. Israeli authorities must abide by their responsibilities under international law to protect prisoners’ human rights.

Only the Palestinian people have the right to choose their own leadership. We welcome the commitment by President Mahmoud Abbas to hold free and fair elections under international auspices within the next twelve months to rejuvenate Palestinian governance.

Many Palestinians refer to Marwan Barghouti as “their Mandela”. He has a vital role to play as a unifying figure, whose reputation as a supporter of a two-state solution has grown over his 23 years of imprisonment. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the founding Chair of The Elders, first called for his release in 2013. Freeing him now would send a signal that Israel is serious about pursuing a peaceful, political path to resolve the conflict.

Many Israeli political and security figures, including a former director of the Shin Bet internal security agency, support his release and recognise the leadership role he could play in the interests of peace, dignity and security for both Israelis and Palestinians.

Marwan Barghouti was convicted in 2004 in a trial that the Inter-Parliamentary Union found contained numerous breaches of international law and was not fair. Barghouti has supported the right of Palestinians to resist Israel’s illegal occupation, but condemned attacks on civilians.

President Trump and other leaders with influence should do all they can to secure Barghouti’s release. They should seize this moment to increase the chances of lasting peace, security and accountability in the region.

ENDS

Juan Manuel Santos, former President of Colombia, Nobel Peace Laureate and Chair of The Elders 

Graça Machel, Founder of the Graça Machel Trust, Co-founder and Deputy Chair of The Elders  

Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Prime Minister of Norway and former Director-General of the WHO 

Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and former head of the UN Development Programme 

Elbegdorj Tsakhia, former President and Prime Minister of Mongolia 

Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights 

Hina Jilani, Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and co-chair of the Taskforce on Justice 

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia and Nobel Peace Laureate 

Denis Mukwege, physician and human rights advocate, Nobel Peace Laureate 

Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights 

Ernesto Zedillo, former President of Mexico 

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