Marwan Barghuthi was among those directly responsible for the outbreak of the second intifadah after having fervently supported the Israeli-Palestinian peace process for years.

He did this against the background of the internal struggle within Fatah and the confrontation between Fatah and Hamas, and within a few weeks he found himself committing a grave error and being dragged into the cycle of violence and terror that ended in his incarceration in an Israeli prison.

Barghuthi's sweeping victory in the Fatah primaries, like the impressive results scored by Qaddurah Faris (a signatory to the Geneva Initiative), has created a rare opportunity for the two peoples. Barghuthi and Faris are likely to be among the leaders who will stand alongside Abu-Mazen as real and strong partners for peace talks with Israel. This is the most serious answer to Hamas, and it is Hamas that is the true enemy of Israel and of the pragmatic Palestinian camp. If the Sharon government is sincere about its desire to attain an agreement with the Palestinians, it must appeal to the president to pardon Barghuthi. It is hard to believe that this will happen. It would seem that a more courageous government is needed to take this step.