Jailed leader drops out of Palestinian presidential race
Barghouti, 45, an extremely popular member of the younger guard of Fatah, had considered challenging Mahmoud Abbas, 69, in the election to succeed Yasser Arafat.
But armed with an appeal from Abbas to abandon the campaign, Palestinian cabinet minister Kadoura Fares travelled to an Israeli prison in Beersheba yesterday for talks with Barghouti
Mr Fares said later that Barghouti appreciated Mr Abbas’s gestures, including a promise to hold elections in Fatah next year, and would support his candidacy.
“After a meeting of four hours, during which we debated this issue, Marwan Barghouti sends this message to the Palestinian people and its fighters... He calls on the members of the movement to support the movement’s candidate, Mahmoud Abbas,” Mr Fares said following the meeting.
The decision will come as a relief to the Israeli leadership who warned Barghouti’s candidature would kill off any chance of peace.
He is serving five life sentences for murders and the Israelis swore not to free him, even if he was elected.
The ruling Fatah movement sought to influence Barghouti’s decision earlier in the day by setting August 4 as the date for long-overdue internal elections.
It was, as it turned out, a successful attempt to persuade the head of Fatah’s restless young guard to drop out of January’s presidential elections.
The younger leaders of Fatah have complained that they have been frozen out of the top leadership positions in the party by older officials scared of losing power.
Fatah has not held a general conference to elect a new leadership since a 1989 gathering in Algeria.
But the Fatah Revolutionary Council decided to hold a general conference on August 4, Yasser Arafat’s birthday, to elect new party leaders.
The elections should have been held every five years.
Not all members of the young guard supported Barghouti.
One of the younger leaders, said yesterday that Barghouti’s bid could weaken Fatah, and that “someone else could win this election from the outside.”
Barghouti was convicted of murder by an Israeli court. Israel says that he was involved in attacks that killed four Israelis and a Greek monk.
His supporters have said they are counting on international pressure on Israel to free him.
Both Mr Abbas and Barghouti support the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem.
However, the two differ on the uprising. Mr Abbas has spoken out against violence and said the current uprising was a mistake, but Barghouti has justified attacks on Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank and Gaza as legitimate resistance to occupation.
Barghouti was the West Bank leader of Fatah when he was captured in the city of Ramallah by Israeli forces in April 2002. He has been in Israeli custody ever since.
Before the current round of violence erupted in September 2000, Barghouti was known as a moderate, advocating creation of a Palestinian state living peacefully alongside Israel. Speaking fluent Hebrew, he had frequent contact with Israeli peace activists.
However, even his Israeli backers discerned a change in his tone after the current uprising began.
His public statements were more strident, encouraging resistance against the Israelis and he refused to denounce attacks.
During his trial, Israel charged that he was directly involved in deadly attacks, but Barghouti insisted he was a political activist not linked to violence.
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