Word: barghouti
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Whether Marwan Barghouti contests the Palestinian presidential election from an Israeli jail, or succumbs to pressure to stand down in the name of national unity, his candidacy signals the difficulties facing Yasser Arafat's presumptive heir, Mahmoud Abbas, in fulfilling Washington's expectations that the passing of Arafat will herald the rise of a more pliable leadership. For a week since announcing his candidacy in the January 9 election for President of the Palestinian Authority, Barghouti has dominated international headlines. Secretary of State Colin Powell called Barghouti's "problematic," while Spanish foreign minister Miguel Moratinos dubbed it "a mistake." Egyptian...
...More significant, however, is the steady torrent of rebukes directed at Barghouti from within the ranks of his natural base, the militant grassroots of Fatah who serve as the shock troops of the current intifadah via the al-Aksa Martyr's Brigade and other militia. They have been even more urgent and insistent in demanding that Barghouti drop out of the race in the name of the unity emphasized by all Palestinian factions in the wake of Yasser Arafat's passing. "We are against the candidacy of Marwan because it is contrary to the decision of the central committee...
...gave its presidential nomination to Mahmoud Abbas, favored by Israel and the West to succeed Arafat. But the signs of progress are still fragile. Palestinian officials are concerned about supporters of imprisoned Palestinian activist Marwan Barghouti, who lost his bid to be Fatah's presidential nominee. Senior Fatah officials told TIME that as many as 40% of the party's members may now boycott the election. The absence of a credible alternative to Abbas could also embolden the militant group Hamas to attempt to derail his election by attacking Israel. "There is a real sense that this is a moment...
Abbas and Qurei hold the loyalty of the secular Old Guard, but they are nearing their 70s. A younger generation is clamoring for power, including reformers who want a more open, honest government and militants who earned their spurs fighting Israel. Though locked up in an Israeli prison, Marwan Barghouti, 44, leader of Fatah in the West Bank, is the most popular figure there after Arafat. His word from the cell block could help or hurt new leaders. Another rising star, Mohammed Dahlan, 43, former head of preventive security in Gaza, has street cred, the loyalty of members...
...former West Bank counterpart Jibril Rajoub may have their eyes on the prize. But in its most recent survey of Palestinian political opinion, the widely respected Ramallah-based Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research found the second-most popular leader after Yasser Arafat to be Marwan Barghouti. Barghouti, of course, is unlikely to be a contender right now, for the simple reason that he's serving five consecutive life sentences in an Israeli prison for his role in the current intifada. But if no Palestinian leader will ever recapture the national mystique and symbolic power of Arafat, the next...