Ha! Hmm, I don't know the Hebrew word for Catholic or Pope...oddly enough.

Here is my point, dear Ismail...(well a couple of points):

Firstly, and most importantly is that the author did NOT present any context around Barghouti. I actually do agree in some ways that he could be an important figure to bridge gaps. All that I was saying is that the article really skirts over Barghouti's role in Tanzim and Al-Aqsa...no? And as such the story does get a little more complicated. Or further could he really be pulled into the political fold? I think this is a totally legitimate question.

Further, there is the question of bringing guerillas into the political fold...something that most Israelis (this is NOT an American Zionist canard) are highly distrustful of at this point given the utter failings of dealing with Arafat and Fatah for years.

There are points of importance in the article above. And the legality of Barghouti's arrest is another issue (though I will say that he was also found not guilty on 20-some odd charges...not very Stalinist in my estimation)--I was commenting specifically on the idea of propping him up as an effective potential leader. I have my doubts and my questions; none of which are absolute.  But these questions are something that the author does not even touch on.