Former defense minister Amir Peretz over the weekend met in prison with convicted master terrorist Marwan Barghouti, who served as a senior commander in PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) Fatah party.

Barghouti has been sentenced to multiple life sentences for his part in the deaths of a number of Israelis and many other terror attacks.

Peretz feels his release is a key component towards strengthening Abu Mazen’s government, which he views as moderate, a move that would deliver a blow to the fundamentalist Hamas regime which rules in Gaza.

In addition, Peretz has stated that it is obvious that Barghouti’s release could result in the immediate release of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been captive for almost 23 months.

Peretz stated Israel must come to the realization that Barghouti is a powerful political figure in Yehuda and Shomron and his release will ultimately serve Israel’s interests, adding the convicted Fatah leader has assured him he is genuinely interested in moving ahead in the political arena, not seeking to achieve objectives using terrorism as in the past.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)