Marwan Barghouti, a leader of the Palestinian 'uprising' jailed by Israel but perhaps the strongest candidate to oust Yasser Arafat's old guard of politicians, plans to run in upcoming presidential elections, a person close to Barghouti said Saturday. Barghouti, a former West Bank leader of Fatah, has firm street (gang) credentials. He spent six years in Israeli jails before being deported in 1987, and was one of the first exiles to return seven years later after interim peace deals with Israel were signed.
The candidacy of Barghouti, who supports violence but says he wants peace with Israel, could shake up the calcified world of Palestinians politics. By law, elections are to be held by Jan. 9, or within 60 days of Arafat's death on Thursday Israel, however, is determined not to free Barghouti, who is serving multiple life terms for his role in the killings of four Israelis and a Greek monk. Israel has said it wanted the new Palestinian leadership to prove itself before peace talks resume. |