According to Al Hayat, the Israeli government will release arch-terrorist Marwan Barghouti but expel him from the Palestinian-occupied territories.
Al Hayat is not well-informed about Israel, but he has good inside knowledge of Palestinian affairs; thus the story reflects Abbas’s hopes. Barghouti’s release would spell electoral defeat for Abbas: having been locked away in jail for the past years, Barghouti is untainted by the allegations of corruption that plague other PLO leaders.
Israel will find it very hard to negotiate with the tough and popular Barghouti, as opposed to Abbas the puppet. Peres nevertheless supports Barghouti as the only Palestinian leader who might sign a durable peace treaty with Israel.
Once he is expelled, Barghouti will gain international prominence like Mashaal did, and one day Peres will bring him back to win Palestinian elections, like he brought Arafat from Tunis.
