Mr. Trump, Marwan Barghouti Is a Terrorist — Not a Peacemaker
Mr. Trump, Marwan Barghouti Is a Terrorist — Not a Peacemaker
President Trump says he’s “making a decision” on the release of convicted terrorist Marwan Barghouti. For terror victims’ families, that’s not diplomacy — it’s betrayal. His statement sent a shock wave through many of us who have lived with the consequences of Palestinian terrorism.
For some, Barghouti’s name might sound distant or political. For me — and for countless other victims’ families — it represents something very different: murder, pain, and betrayal.
In 1995, my daughter Alisa was murdered in an Iranian-sponsored terror attack. Since that day, I have lived with the reality of what terrorism does — not just to its immediate victims, but to their families, their communities, and the idea of justice itself.
Barghouti is not a “moderate.” He is not Nelson Mandela. He is a convicted terrorist and murderer, found guilty in 2004 of five counts of murder and numerous attempted murders for orchestrating deadly attacks during the Second Intifada. His victims included civilians — ordinary people going about their daily lives. He has never expressed remorse. On the contrary, he remains a celebrated figure for Hamas and other terror groups precisely because of the blood on his hands.
Freeing him would not advance peace. It would reward terror, legitimize violence, and crush the faith of victims’ families in the idea that justice matters. When terrorists are released, the message to the world isn’t reconciliation — it’s that mass murder can be bargained away.
President Trump has often spoken about his love for his own family. I ask him — and anyone inclined to view Barghouti through the lens of political expediency — to imagine what it would mean to watch the man who killed your child walk free and be hailed as a hero.
The United States should be standing with terror victims and its ally Israel — not providing moral cover to a convicted killer.
Marwan Barghouti is not the future of peace. He is the face of terror.
