Word: barghouti
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...between Israel and Abbas, but Abbas has little independent political authority and has, instead, operated as an intermediary between the Israelis and Americans on the one hand, and on the other hand those Palestinians to whom they refuse to speak directly - PA president Yasser Arafat, Fatah militia leader Marwan Barghouti (currently on trial in Tel Aviv on terror charges), and the leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Abbas and Dahlan pointedly refused to accept security responsibility in Gaza without the consent of the militants - in the form of a hudna, the Islamic term for a temporary cease-fire, in which...
...Arafat - but even with the support of the PA leader it's far from clear that Abbas can deliver a durable cease-fire. That the hudna agreement was reached through extensive consultation with Hamas, Jihad and Fatah militants currently held in Israeli prisons - the Fatah signatory is reportedly Marwan Barghouti, the high-profile West Bank Fatah leader currently on trial in Tel Aviv for terrorism - is testimony to the limits of Abbas's ability to be much more than a facilitator between the Americans, Israelis and Palestinians they'd rather not have to talk...
...limits of Abbas's own authority. Yasser Arafat plainly remains in charge of the PA, and his endorsement remains essential if Abbas is to have even a remote chance of delivering on the security requirements of the "roadmap." Tuesday's reports that Israel is considering freeing Marwan Barghouti - the West Bank Fatah leader accused by Israel of running the movement's militias and terror groups - is a further indicator that those orchestrating the roadmap process are aware that the only workable cease-fire is one endorsed by those who are doing the fighting. The release of Barghouti would...
...While Abbas has been willing to the be the Palestinian leader Washington wants him to be, others ranging from Arafat and Barghouti to the leaders of Hamas are likely to be guided more by the sentiment of the Palestinian street. That's a double-edged sword. If Hamas's terror attacks are perceived to be imperiling Palestinians' chances of resuming their working lives, pressure will mount on the organization to suspend such attacks. At the same time, however, the flurry of diplomatic talks have thus far had little impact on the lives of ordinary Palestinians struggling under the chokehold...
...attention to the meeting in Aqaba, there was widespread anger at the perception that Abbas had said many things the Israelis and Americans wanted to hear, but had avoided articulating Palestinian grievances. "There was no Palestinian voice at Aqaba," Palestinian human rights campaigner and longtime Arafat critic Mustafa Barghouti told the BBC. And the summit was condemned during Friday prayers in mosques throughout the West Bank...