The Palestinian Minister for Liaison with Israel intends to ask a senior Fatah official, who is serving five life sentences, not to run for the post of PA chairman.
Marwan Barghouti, in 2012
Photography:
AP
Hussein a-Sheikh, the Minister of Civil Affairs and Liaison with Israel in the Palestinian Authority, will today (Thursday) criticize Fatah official Marwan Barghouti, after receiving exceptional approval from Israel.
Barghouti's associates, who are serving five life sentences and 40 years in Israeli prisons, told the PA media that a-Sheikh intends to ask him not to run against Abu Mazen for the presidency of the Palestinian Authority.
They further added that Barghouti intends to run for office from the Israeli prison and that he does not intend to accede to the request of the senior Palestinian official.
Barghouti, a former Tanzim secretary general in the West Bank (Fatah's military wing), was convicted of planning and carrying out attacks during the second intifada, in which hundreds of Israelis were killed.
In the past, Barghouti had great political influence in the movement and was even marked as Abu Mazen's successor.
In the past, senior Israeli officials have called for him to be pardoned due to his chances of succeeding Abu Mazen, but due to a conflict that erupted between associates on both sides, Barghouti was removed from the center of his power in the movement.
According to surveys conducted in recent years in the West Bank, Barghouti used to enjoy great popularity on the Palestinian street - but today he enjoys a few percent of support among the Palestinian public.
