My Word: The Marwan Barghouti effect - opinion
As Hollywood embraces Barghouti, collective memory is being reshaped to turn a terrorist into a hero.
A strange collective amnesia is affecting the educated elite. A select group of celebrities in Hollywood and beyond have taken up the cause of Marwan Barghouti with fervor. Barghouti, 66, is being hailed as the new Nelson Mandela, despite being convicted of masterminding terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of four Israelis.
He is the leader of Tanzim, a "military" wing of Fatah, and the founder of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Barghouti was acquitted of 21 counts of murder in 33 other attacks due to a lack of sufficient evidence. Some actors have joined the Freedom for Marwan campaign, urging for his release.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
