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JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Nelson Mandela's struggle for freedom inspired Palestinians to believe that their own liberation was "possible," jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti said on Friday.
His remarks were made in an open letter to Mandela sent from Cell 28 of Hadarim prison in Israel, which was published by the Palestine Liberation Organization a day after the South African liberation leader's death.
"You said: 'We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.'
"And from within my prison cell, I tell you our freedom seems possible because you reached yours," he wrote.
"Apartheid did not prevail in South Africa, and apartheid shall not prevail in Palestine," he wrote.
Mandela, who first visited Israel and the Palestinian territories in 1999, was an ardent supporter of the Palestinian cause and a champion for Middle East peace.
Read more @: Barghouti: Mandela gave Palestinians hope for freedom | Maan News Agency
He will be missed in the hearts of the Palestinian people. Just wish he got to see the Palestinian state to come to fruition. Was not only a great freedom fighter for South Africa but also for the Palestinian cause and many people who are struggling for freedom and justice around the world.