World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder Pushed for Release of Arch-Terrorist Marwan Barghouti 

In a stunning behind-the-scenes maneuver that has ignited fury across Israel and the Jewish diaspora, Ronald Lauder, the influential president of the World Jewish Congress and heir to the Estée Lauder empire, aggressively lobbied for the release of convicted Palestinian terrorist Marwan Barghouti as part of the fragile hostage exchange with Hamas, a move swiftly crushed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office amid a storm of cabinet opposition.

Lauder's "bold intervention" came as negotiators in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, hammered out the final details of the ceasefire agreement set to free the last 20 living Israeli hostages from Gaza in exchange for 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences.

The cosmetics magnate even volunteered to jet to the Egyptian resort to personally argue for Barghouti's inclusion, proposing his exile outside Palestinian territories and framing the release as a grand "gesture" to Saudi Arabia or other Arab nations pushing for it, ideas that crumbled under the weight of fierce Israeli resistance.

Barghouti, 66, the former Judea and Samaria Fatah leader serving five life sentences for orchestrating deadly attacks during the Second Intifada that claimed five Israeli lives, could be capable of uniting factions and succeeding PA President Mahmoud Abbas. He is reviled in Israel as an unrepentant "arch-terrorist" who endorses armed resistance against occupation while advocating a two-state solution.

Former Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon once warned that freeing him could pave the way for a "united and legitimate Palestinian leadership," a prospect that terrified Israeli hardliners.

The push for Barghouti's freedom didn't stop with Lauder: Egypt, Qatar, and even Hamas demanded it, declaring his fate "absolutely central" to the talks, while mediators urged U.S. intervention, only for the Trump administration to back away.

Israel wielded one of its five vetoes to block him, fearing his release could shatter domestic politics and empower a charismatic rival to Abbas.

The disclosure has unleashed a torrent of backlash, with Zionist groups like Betar branding Lauder a "self-hating Jew" and demanding he "keep his mouth shut," while others decry his actions as a "betrayal of Jewish values" and a "disgraceful" spit in the face of terror victims.

Calls for new leadership at the World Jewish Congress, or even its disbandment, are growing louder, as critics accuse the 81-year-old of undermining Israel's security from his perch in New York.

Barghouti, isolated in solitary confinement for years and recently taunted in a leaked video by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, denies the charges and rejects Israeli jurisdiction, with his lawyer alleging brutal beatings by guards, claims vehemently denied by authorities.

As the ceasefire teeters forward, this explosive episode exposes the razor-sharp tensions over peace, power, and the ghosts of past violence haunting the region.

Netanyahu's office and Lauder have declined to comment, leaving the controversy to rage on.