Ex-Shin Bet official: Releasing Abdullah Barghouti akin to freeing 'another Sinwar'

Palestinian Abdullah Barghouti, a leading commander for the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas in the West Bank, is escorted by Israeli police into the Magistrate’s Court for a hearing in Jerusalem on June 20, 2012. [MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images]

Former Shin Bet official, Yossi Amrosi, has warned that the release of Palestinian prisoner Abdullah Barghouti, a commander in Al-Qassam Brigades who is serving 67 life sentences, in any potential prisoner exchange deal would be akin to releasing “another Sinwar”, in reference to the head of the Hamas movement in Gaza.

Amrosi described Barghouti as a dangerous prisoner and emphasised that Israel should not accept his release, defining it as a “red line”. He further explained that releasing Abdullah Barghouti, who serves 67 life sentences, would essentially release the next Yahya Sinwar.

Based in the West Bank, Barghouti is known as the ‘engineer’ and has been said to be at the top of Hamas’s list for a prisoner swap during negotiations.

He is currently serving the longest sentence meted out to a Palestinian by the Israeli occupation’s military courts. In 2004, Barghouti was sentenced to 5,200 years in jail or 67 consecutive life terms.

READ: Israel has imprisoned over 9,500 Palestinians in its jails – report

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