Ro Khanna Wants Marwan Barghouti Freed; Israel Remembers What Happened With Yahya Sinwar
“Barghouti could be a powerful rallying figure for Palestinians. Some Palestinians view him as their own Nelson Mandela … “
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) has really distinguished himself over the past few months. Despite the seemingly unending stream of disturbing revelations from former Maine Senate nominee Graham Platner’s past, Khanna threw his full support behind him. Platner was “someone who had a dark chapter in his life” and should be given “some grace,” the far-left congressman said.
Next, Khanna claimed that he and his delegation — which conveniently included a New York Times photographer — had been “detained” by Israeli settlers during a visit to the West Bank. Israeli authorities strongly disputed his version of the incident. In the end, it was widely speculated that he staged the confrontation to raise his profile ahead of a possible 2028 presidential run and to divert media attention from his misguided support for Platner, who had just been credibly accused of rape.
On Friday, Khanna called for the release of convicted Palestinian murderer Marwan Barghouti from an Israeli prison. In a video recording on X, he said:
Today, I’m calling for the release of Marwan Bhargouti from Israeli prison. Palestinians must choose their own leaders.
Barghouti has a unique standing among all Palestinian factions. He’s seen as non-corrupt, a strong leader, and secular. Barghouti could deliver a Palestinian state living in peace with Israel.
…
Releasing Barghouti does not provide him with a pardon or moral absolution of crimes he may have committed. In fact, a number of human rights groups say he did not even receive a fair trial. But the release is needed to move peace forward just like Arafat and Rabin worked for peace despite their pasts.
…
I am calling for the release of Marwan Bhargouti from Israeli prison. pic.twitter.com/z0T1vmlVho
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) September 25, 2026
The Israelis had good reasons for not including Barghouti in any of the Gaza hostage-prisoner exchanges.
In 2004, Barghouti was convicted in an Israeli court of involvement in attacks that killed five people during the Second Intifada and is serving five life sentences.
But Barghouti is far more dangerous than his crimes would indicate.
At the time of his 2002 arrest, he was a high-ranking and unusually popular leader in Fatah, the secular nationalist rival faction to Hamas that dominates the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank. And reverence for the charismatic leader has only grown over the more than two decades he has lived behind bars.
Barghouti’s popularity across Palestinian factions and his leadership ability are precisely why Israel has refused to free him: He would likely emerge as a powerful contender to lead the Palestinians and give their national movement a more unified voice.
During negotiations for the final hostage-prisoner swap in October 2025, Hamas demanded Barghouti’s release. The Associated Press reported at the time:
Senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk told the Al Jazeera TV network that the group insists on the release of Barghouti and other high-profile figures and that it was in discussions with mediators.
Israel views Barghouti as a terrorist leader.
Despite Hamas’s insistence, Barghouti remained in prison. The Israelis know all too well the deadly consequences of the 2011 prisoner exchange that freed Yahya Sinwar. Following his release, Sinwar went on to become the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and ultimately the chief mastermind behind the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks against Israel.
According to the Associated Press:
Some experts say Israel fears Barghouti for another reason: An advocate of a two-state solution even as he backed armed resistance to occupation, Barghouti could be a powerful rallying figure for Palestinians. Some Palestinians view him as their own Nelson Mandela, the South African anti-apartheid activist who became his country’s first Black president.
So this is the man Khanna wants Israel to release. Barghouti was convicted of involvement in attacks that killed five people and wounded others. His influence, however, extends far beyond those crimes: He remains popular across Palestinian factions and could emerge from prison as a leader capable of uniting them against Israel. After the 2011 prisoner exchange freed Yahya Sinwar, Israelis have reason to consider what a charismatic and capable prisoner might do once released.
Journalist Gerald Posner put it best in the X post below:
So @RoKhanna continues to double down on his alliance with Hamas in his shameless courting of the anti-Israel left in his party.
…Ro Khanna is trying to out-flank Abdul El-Sayed, Hasan Piker, and Zohran Mamdani for ownership of the party’s pro-Hamas fringe — and burying whatever’s left of a Democratic foreign policy that could win a general election. He should be ashamed.
So @RoKhanna continues to double down on his alliance with Hamas in his shameless courting of the anti-Israel left in his party.
Want to know more about the person he wants released? An Israeli civilian court in Tel Aviv convicted Marwan Barghouti in May 2004 on five counts of… https://t.co/qZ9HKLlnde
— Gerald Posner (@geraldposner) September 25, 2026
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
Self censored version follows:
Today I’m calling on Ro Khanna to f off and die, Do it Ro, For the children,
Khanna, like the rest of his subversive, Jew-hating, “America last,” Islamo-Marxist Dhimmi-crats, is utterly wicked, vile and narcissistic.
If he wants to be an advocate for the genocidal, goose-stepping Arab Muslim Islamofascists/terrorists in Gaza/West Bank, he should move there. He’s certainly representing them with more fervor, attention and energy than he displays on behalf of his California constituents.
Democrats just love them some bloodthirsty terrorist murderers. They’re a Death Cult– just like their psychotic Palestinian brothers-in-arms.
Supporting cold-blooded killers is definitely a qualification for a 2028 Democrat prez candidate.
Democrats: Manson Family, The New Generation.
Five life sentences and a sitting member of Congress wants Israel to spring him.
That takes a lot of balls…
And it goes beyond the five murder convictions. Hamas’s insistence that Barghouti be released last October tells us everything we need to know. He would unify and organize Palestinians of all stripes against Israel. How long would it take for the next massacre against Israelis to happen? It would be insanity for Israel to release Barghouti — and Khanna is acutely aware of that.
Actually, within the Demon-crat party, takes no balls at all. Speaking out in support of Israel like Fetterman does takes balls.
Screw Khanna and what he wants. More of what California creates.
Khanna is the new Democrat that feels they no longer need to hide their true feelings about many things. Jews, our founding fathers, transgender child mutilation, mass abortion as a contrceptive, free everything with no one to pay for it, illegals amnesty, DEI in all jobs both private, state, and federal. Higher taxes that will cure everything. No ICE and less police will create a whole new form of crime we have never seen before. But they tell us openly that is what they will do if they win in Nov plus impeachment.
I’m not convinced that all the individual Democrats who spout this nonsense really believe in it. I bet a lot of them are just towing the party line for political benefit. I mean, the sheer insanity of some of these issues is obvious. Allowing illegals to flood into the country, and then providing them with food, shelter, and medical care? And even paying for them to transition if that’s their thing? Men in women’s sports? DEI in every university, corporation, etc. … It’s hard to believe that Democrats are up 8 points in the generic congressional polls. Have the majority of Americans lost their minds? I just don’t understand it.
Whenever I happen to come across what our betters want us to believe ~ https://tinyurl.com/2016presidential-poll
I agree that all Dems peobablly don’t believe the entire agenda but a good example of the issue is Schumer, a Jew, endorsing a Jew-hating anti-Semite el-sayed in MI! If the DSA takes control of our country, we will be as screwed up as Canada in ten years! Hundreds of new social programs and huge cuts in the military and police funding along with much higher taxes.
s/towing/toeing
“Barghouti has a unique standing among all Palestinian factions. He’s seen as non-corrupt, a strong leader, and secular.”
In a culture that practices the tradition of baksheesh, is there anyone in any position of power or authority who is not corrupt? In a culture of extremist Islam, is there anyone in any position of power or authority who is secular?
What is Kahnna smoking in his arjīla?
Pole
What is Kahnna smoking in his arjīla?
I don’t know, but whatever it is, it must be so alluring that lots of people want to get up close to him and sniff it.
“…He’s seen as non-corrupt, a strong leader, and secular.“ Emphasis added.
Indon’t think those words mean (to the people saying them) what you think they mean.
Like “secular” meaning mostly dorsn’t persecute heritic co-religionists… yet. “Non-corrupt” means does the side deals in public and stays bought. “Strong” meaning takes it to the infidels, outcome be damned.
Where’s a multiculturist when you need one. Sheesh.
Ro Khanna… Supporter of terrorism and nazis in Maine.
Ro, get your head out of where ever it is and support the USA for a change. It’s in the oath you swore to, remember?
Who in the right mind votes for clowns like this.
Ro should read Robert Spencer’s History of Jihad to find out what the Muslims have planned for Hindus.
Khanna is a commie, not a Hindu.
Barky was a Marxist student but that call for Muslim prayers was the sweetest thing he ever heard.
Bet not all Ro’s family are Marxists
Rep Khanna inserting himself into this and telling Israel they should release a high ranking terrorist ‘for peace’ is really something. Instead we need to keep the USA out of other Nation’s affairs and definitely stop whining about the plight of convicted terrorists or their political supporters.
Yeah, He does so bleating like a stuck Khanna if AIPAC were to fund his opponent and AIPAC is not even an extension of Israel.
He’s a politician so he’d bleat about any PAC funding his opponents and not him …though he might just squeal louder about AIPAC.
Amazing! Khanna is even slimier than Newscum.
Israel should take up the death penalty for those kinds of criminals. Why bother spending a cent on their care?
And ro is a piece of schiff who should be taxed fully on all his families wealth. One of the bigger pieces of garbage on the democrap side.
Unfortunately the death penalty is a dead letter in Israel, because the prosecutors and judges have already announced that they will never apply it no matter what the law says.
Some Palestinians view him as their own Nelson Mandela, the South African anti-apartheid activist who became his country’s first Black president.
And we all know how well that worked out.
By all means, release the indispensable Palestinian Barghouti after he’s served his 5 life sentences (consecutively, one would hope), a least in time for Ro Khana to run as effective a POTUS campaign as the last Californian ran for 107 days at a cost of nearly $2B. That would be swell!
Without a pardon, how can he be released? It would be illegal.
Anyone who claims that must be immediately dismissed from all consideration, because they’ve exposed themselves as lying nazi sympathizers.
And look how that worked out. Arafat remained the same Arafat to the end of his days, and the Oslo Accord was a total disaster that has to date killed many thousands and permanently injured many thousands more, for no gain whatsoever. It was sold in the first place on the fraudulent premise that if it doesn’t work out we can always dissolve the PA and take the territories back, but that has proven impossible, as we on the right always knew it would be.
I’d be more inclined to listen to not Ensign Ro(*) were he in the path of what comes next. Rockets? Hang gliders? Abductions? Bus stop bombings?
(*)He’s too much a bot to realize his pop culture namesake is (in)famous Bajoran — thinnest of Jewish allegory — in Star Trek TNG.