Palestine - The wife of high-profile Palestinian political prisoner Marwan Barghouti, Fadwa Barghouti, appealed to US President Donald Trump to help release the popular leader from his Israeli jail, her son Arab told AFP.

Barghouti, now 66, was arrested in 2002 by Israel and sentenced to life in prison in 2004 on murder charges.

Israel considers Barghouti a "terrorist" and convicted him over his role in the Second Intifada, or uprising, from 2000-2005. He has said he had no connection to the incidents for which he was imprisoned, and the Inter-Parliamentary Union determined he had not received a fair trial.

"Mr. President, a genuine partner awaits you – one who can help fulfill the dream we share of just and lasting peace in the region. For the sake of freedom for the Palestinian people and peace for all future generations, help release Marwan Barghouti," lawyer Fadwa Barghouti said in a statement.

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Asked whether he would support freeing Barghouti during an interview with Time on October 15, Trump said he'd be "making a decision" on the matter, without specifying a timeline.

Asked about the matter Friday during a briefing in Israel, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: "I have nothing new to give you on this topic."

A leading member of the Palestinian Fatah party, Barghouti was among the Palestinian prisoners Hamas had wanted to see released as part of the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire deal, according to Egyptian media.

Barghouti, whose supporters sometimes refer to as the "Palestinian Mandela," is regarded as one of the few Palestinian figures who could be accepted by all political factions as a leader.

In a video he shared on social media in August, Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir was seen visiting and threatening Barghouti in jail. The move was condemned by the United Nations.