Marwan Barghouthi to be nominated for Fatah leadership

[oberliner]

Bethlehem – Ma’an – Jailed Fatah strongman Marwan Barghouthi will nominate himself for a seat on the Fatah Central Committee during the movement’s sixth congress next month, Palestinian Minister of Prisoners Affairs Issa Qaraqe revealed Saturday.

“Out of respect to our leaders in Israeli custody as well as their supporters, Fatah will support Marwan Barghouthi’s nomination for the central committee,” Qaraqe said in a statement. Barghouthi will be officially nominated during the conference meetings in Bethlehem that begin on 4 August.

In his statement, Qaraqe said he expects Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails will be given priority during Fatah sixth conference, both in terms of their case as an urgent issue to be resolved, and their position as prominent politicians. He pointed out that Marwan Barghouthi and other Fatah-affiliated prisoners have pinned their hopes on the sixth conference as a forum to discuss party plans and policy for the coming years.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=214418

[Sezu]

1. Their policy seems unchanging

eternal war with Israel

"As the Fatah movement prepares for its upcoming leadership convention, a senior group member says the event will be used to display Fatah's commitment to the armed struggle against Israel. Preparations for the convention, scheduled for August 4, are in full force at this time. During a series of preliminary meetings ahead of the event, senior Fatah official Rafik al-Natsheh said that the group will not be recognizing Israel.
'We will maintain the resistance option in all its forms and we will not recognize Israel," he said. "Not only don't we demand that anyone recognize Israel; we don't recognize Israel ourselves. However, the Palestinian Authority government is required to do it, or else it will not be able to serve the Palestinian people." "I am certain that we will hinder all the traitors who wish to remove the resistance option from the movement's charter," Natsheh added."

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3750930,00.html

[Ken Burch]

3. Fatah, as the PA government, DID recognize Israel in 1994

The recognition issue is dead.

[Ken Burch]

2. Barghouti is the only hope for getting a secular, non-corrupt leader for the PA

There's no longer any good reason to keep him in prison.

[henank]

4. 5 life sentences for murder isn't enough of a reason? n/t

[azurnoir]

5. Marwan Barghouti

As the Second Intifada raged, Barghouti became increasingly popular as a leader of the Fatah armed branch, the Tanzim seen as one of the major forces fighting against the Israeli Defense Forces. Barghouti led marches to Israeli checkpoints, where riots broke out against Israeli soldiers and spurred on Palestinians in speeches at funerals and demonstrations, condoning the use of force to expel Israel from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. <2> When asked which civilians were legitimate targets, he clarified: "And while I, and the Fatah movement to which I belong, strongly oppose attacks and the targeting of civilians inside Israel, our future neighbor, I reserve the right to protect myself, to resist the Israeli occupation of my country and to fight for my freedom" <3>

] Arrest

Barghouti's actions during the Intifada landed him on Israel's most-wanted list, and he escaped an arrest attempt in 2001. However, he was arrested by the Israeli Army in Ramallah, on April 15, 2002 and transferred to the 'Russian Compound' police station in Jerusalem. Several months later, he was indicted in civilian court on charges of murder and attempted murder stemming from attacks carried out by the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades on Israeli soldiers. <4><5>
] Trial

Israel tried Barghouti in an Israeli civilian court, instead of a military court as is often done with Palestinian militants.

Marwan Barghouti refused to present a defense to the charges brought against him, maintaining throughout that the trial was illegal and illegitimate. However, he continued to stress that he supported armed resistance to the Israeli occupation, but condemned attacks on civilians inside Israel. He was found guilty of murdering two of the latter, however:

On May 20, 2004, he was convicted of 5 counts of murder - including authorizing and organizing the Sea Food Market attack in Tel Aviv in which 3 civilians inside Israel were killed. He was acquitted of 21 counts of murder in 33 other attacks for "lack of sufficient evidence." On June 6, 2004, he was sentenced to five life sentences for the five murders and 40 years imprisonment for the attempted murder.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marwan_Barghouti

[LeftishBrit]

6. This may be good news. Hope so!