Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has renewed his push for the release of convicted terrorist Marwan Barghouti, meeting Tuesday with Barghouti’s wife as part of a broader Palestinian campaign to free one of Israel’s most notorious mass murderers.

Abbas and Fadwa Barghouti met at the PA presidential headquarters in Ramallah, where Abbas issued a statement declaring that Barghouti’s release “has always been at the top of President Abbas’s agenda and that of the Fatah movement,” according to the PA-run Wafa news agency.

Senior Palestinian officials have previously made clear that Barghouti’s freedom remains a strategic priority. In August, PA deputy leader Hussein al-Sheikh publicly stated that “every effort” was being made to secure his release. During a visit to the Barghouti family home, al-Sheikh described the former Tanzim terror chief as “a symbol of the Palestinian struggle” and called for the release of all Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Barghouti, now 66, is serving five consecutive life sentences plus 40 years after being convicted in 2004 of orchestrating multiple terrorist attacks during the Second Intifada that murdered five Israelis and wounded dozens more. Arrested in 2002, he was one of the central figures behind the wave of suicide bombings and shootings that killed hundreds of Israeli civilians in the early 2000s.

Despite repeated Palestinian efforts to insert his name into prisoner-exchange negotiations, successive Israeli governments have flatly rejected his release. Israel Prison Service officials have warned that freeing Barghouti would pose an extreme security threat, describing him as a “ticking time bomb” whose return to the field could ignite a third intifada.

The renewed campaign for Barghouti’s release comes as Israel accuses the Palestinian Authority of continuing to glorify and reward terrorism, despite repeated claims by Ramallah that it has dismantled its so-called “pay-for-slay” system under Western pressure.

According to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, the PA has recently promoted two convicted terrorists released from Israeli prisons as part of hostage-exchange deals with Hamas. One of them, Alaa Al-Din Al-Bazian—convicted of planning the murder of Israeli civilian Zehava Ben-Ovadia—was granted the rank of major general by the PA, ensuring him a senior salary and benefits. Another freed terrorist, Naji Arar, was promoted to the rank of colonel.

Both promotions were first exposed by Palestinian Media Watch, which reported that the two men were released in 2025. Al-Bazian’s release marked his third time leaving prison; he has spent a total of 40 years incarcerated for terrorism offenses. Arar served 18 years for his role in Second Intifada violence.

The Foreign Ministry said the promotions reflect the PA’s continued financial and symbolic incentivization of terrorism, despite repeated assurances to the international community that such policies had ended.

“The Palestinian Authority is deeply embedded in a worldview founded on terrorism,” the ministry said, accusing Abbas’s government of continuing to reward violence while publicly claiming moderation.

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