Ro Khanna calls for release of terror convict Barghouti, in apparent first for US lawmaker

US Rep. Ro Khanna calls for the release of imprisoned Palestinian leader and convicted terrorist Marwan Barghouti, apparently becoming the first US lawmaker to do so.

“I’m calling for the release of Marwan Barghouti from Israeli prison,” the Democratic lawmaker says in a video statement.

“Palestinians must choose their own leaders. Barghouti has a unique standing among all Palestinian factions. He’s seen as non-corrupt, a strong leader and secular. Barghouti could deliver a Palestinian state living in peace with Israel,” he says.

The current hardline, right-wing Israeli government has vowed to never allow a Palestinian state to be established.

Barghouti, a prominent Fatah figure during the Second Intifada, was convicted by an Israeli court on five counts of murder and sentenced to multiple life terms for his role in terror attacks that killed Israeli civilians. He is seen by many Palestinians as a potential successor to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Barghouti has denied the charges for which he was convicted, and rejected the Israeli court’s jurisdiction to try him as a member of the PA’s parliament.

I am calling for the release of Marwan Bhargouti from Israeli prison. pic.twitter.com/z0T1vmlVho

— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) September 25, 2026

“Several prominent Israelis, including former directors of Shin Bet and Mossad, have called for his release, as has the leader of the IDF team that apprehended him,”  he says.

“Releasing Barghouti does not provide him with a pardon or moral absolution of crimes he may have committed. In fact, a number of human rights groups say he did not even receive a fair trial, but the release is needed to move peace forward — just like Arafat and Rabin worked for peace, despite their pasts,” Khanna says.

The Democratic lawmaker compares the situation to the Irish Troubles, in which the Irish Republican Army, which “did terrible things,” eventually was allowed to participate in politics.

“If we’re lucky enough to have a just peace in Israel-Palestine, we will need a truth and reconciliation commission. But for now, we must begin to give Palestinians a voice in their sovereignty and the peace process. Release Barghouti,” he says.

Khanna, who once described himself as pro-Israel, has turned into a prominent Israeli critic in his party. He is weighing a 2028 presidential run.