Potential Arafat successor to remain in Israeli prison

Israel has ruled out releasing jailed Marwan Barghouti, a leading Palestinian figure who is widely seen as the strongest candidate to succeed Yasser Arafat.

Barghouti, a former West Bank leader in Arafat’s Fatah movement, is serving multiple life terms in an Israeli prison after being convicted of involvement in attacks that killed four Israelis and a Greek monk.

But Arafat’s death raised speculation that Israel might release Barghouti in a goodwill gesture. He is widely believed to be the only Palestinian leader with enough popularity to inherit Arafat’s mantle.

Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom ruled out such a move today.

“He will remain in prison for the rest of his life, because he’s a murderer, because he’s responsible for the killing of so many” innocent people, Shalom said in Jerusalem.