LONDON: US President Donald Trump should encourage Israel to release Marwan Barghouti after decades of imprisonment, an influential group of global former politicians has said.

The release of Barghouti — consistently the most popular Palestinian leader in opinion polls — would represent an important step toward a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the group said.

Set up by the late South African President Nelson Mandela in 2007, The Elders is chaired by former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, a Nobel peace laureate.

The group also includes former Irish President Mary Robinson, former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and former Mozambican Minister and freedom fighter Graca Machel.

As well as appealing for Barghouti’s release, The Elders urged renewed pressure on Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The group also condemned the latest round of Israeli strikes on Gaza, which have killed dozens of Palestinians and threaten the fragile US-brokered ceasefire.

Barghouti, an advocate of the two-state solution, has been imprisoned since 2002. In a statement, The Elders condemned the “ill-treatment, including torture, of Barghouti and other Palestinian prisoners, many of whom are arbitrarily detained.

“Israeli authorities must abide by their responsibilities under international law to protect prisoners’ human rights.”

The group added: “Only the Palestinian people have the right to choose their own leadership. We welcome the commitment by President Mahmoud Abbas to hold free and fair elections under international auspices within the next 12 months to rejuvenate Palestinian governance.”

In a reference to the origins of The Elders, the statement said many Palestinians see Barghouti as “their Mandela.” It also hailed him as a “unifying figure.”

Barghouti’s release is also supported by a range of Israeli establishment figures, including a former director of the Shin Bet intelligence agency, The Elders said.