Middle East Eye, citing a “source familiar with the negotiations,” reported yesterday that Palestinian Authority officials have requested from mediators that Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti be excluded from a potential prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hamas. The source said that the request was made by Majid Faraj, the director of Palestinian general intelligence, and Hussein al-Sheikh, the secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) executive committee.
The source added that senior PA leaders believed Barghouti’s release would threaten the leadership of PA President Mahmoud Abbas. According to the source, the United States, one of three mediators involved in the indirect Gaza ceasefire negotiations, had reportedly agreed to remove Barghouti’s name from any potential lists Hamas is expected to present.
