WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is suggesting he could call on Israel to release imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, the most popular and potentially unifying Palestinian leader, as the United States aims to fill a leadership vacuum in postwar Gaza.

Trump, in an interview published Thursday, said he has discussed the potential for Barghouti’s release with White House aides.

“I was literally being confronted with that question about 15 minutes before you called,” Trump told Time magazine interview when asked about Barghouti. “So I’ll be making a decision.”

The White House did not respond to a request for comment about Trump’s deliberations on the matter. But the president’s acknowledgment of the internal discussions underscores the difficult task of finding credible politi

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