The beauty queen rejected Barghouti’s terrorism conviction and portrayed him as a global peace figure. “I am proud of our Palestinian leader,” she said. “I want to say that Marwan al-Barghouti is not a terrorist, and he is actually recognized by many international figures, peace figures as the Palestinian Nelson Mandela.”
Barghouti, a senior figure in the Palestinian Fatah movement, was convicted by an Israeli court in 2004 for orchestrating terror attacks during the Second Intifada.
Israeli authorities have long described him as directly responsible for planning violence against civilians.
Despite that record, Miss Universe Palestine claimed Barghouti is a symbol of peace and said international figures support his release. “His release campaign was actually launched from Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela's prison cell was,” she said, adding that it had the backing of “the Mandela family” and figures such as Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, and Angela Davis. She also claimed that “200 celebrities and public figures” have signed campaigns calling for his release.
She further disputed the legitimacy of Barghouti’s conviction, arguing that his trial was invalid. “According to many international human rights organizations, even Jewish and Israeli organizations, they see his trial as illegitimate,” she said, citing Israel’s military court system and its high conviction rate.
“Has he been responsible for killing people?'" she was asked by Piers Morgan. She replied, "No, he has not. There is no trial that has proved that,” despite the standing convictions against him.
