by Uri Avnery MARWAN BARGHOUTI has spoken up. After a long silence, he has sent a message from prison. In Israeli ears, this message does not sound pleasant. But for Palestinians, and for Arabs in general, it makes sense. His message may well become the new program of the Palestinian liberation movement. I FIRST met Marwan in the heyday of post-Oslo optimism. He was emerging as a leader of the
This interview was originally published in Yedioth Ahronoth in Hebrew; it has been translated by Diana Buttu of The Institute for Middle East Understanding. The moment that Abbas officially announces his resignation, even if I am in prison, I will put forward my candidacy for President (of the Palestinian Authority) and I will win. This is what Marwan Barghouthi said from his cell – number 28, section 3 – during
Al-Manar TV reports: An Israeli occupation minister said on Tuesday the Jewish state should exchange detained Palestinian Intifada leader Marwan Barghuti for an Israeli soldier captured by Gaza resistance fighters more than a year ago. “Marwan Barghuti has a good chance of becoming the next Palestinian leader,” Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, infrastructure minister and member of Israeli powerful security cabinet, told army radio. “His release could allow the political negotiations to advance
Ynet news reports that, according to Marwan Barghouti’s wife, Fadwa, her husband might be released from jail as part of a deal that would include the release of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. If true, this is interesting as it was reported that Shalit was captured by Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of the Palestinian governing party Hamas), the Popular Resistance Committees (which includes members of Fatah, Islamic
Here is what Olmert announced at the Sharm el-Sheikh meeting: “As a gesture of goodwill towards the Palestinians, I will bring before the Israeli cabinet a proposal to free 250 Fatah prisoners who do not have blood on their hands.” Again, besides the recurring and bizzare Israeli obsession about “blood” (more on that in a previous post), what is really important here is that Olmert will not release Barghouti. Considering
by Khaled Abu Toameh, for THE JERUSALEM POSTPalestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is expected to demand the release of hundreds of Fatah prisoners from Israeli jails during Monday’s summit in Sharm e-Sheikh, PA officials said. The officials also said Abbas would call for supplying the Fatah-controlled security forces with more weapons to thwart attempts by Hamas to try to take over the West Bank. “We want thousands of rifles, hundreds
Mahmoud Abbas is a fiction by Israel Harel George W. Bush and Ehud Olmert looked pathetic giving their “full backing” to the broken-down crutch that is Mahmoud Abbas. Contrary to the talk in Washington, nothing has changed to open a new opportunity for negotiations over a final settlement. It is impossible to hold talks with Abbas, just like it was impossible to hold talks in the past on any kind
Big news this morning: according to Ha’aretz, Abbas will ask the Israelis to release Marwan Barghouti from jail to help Fatah struggle against Hamas. If so, that would be a rather daring but smart move by the Imperial High Command: Marwan Barghouti is a ‘next generation’ secular Palestinian leader with far more credibility that imperial stooges like Abbas. Immensely popular among Palestinians, well-spoken and articulate with the press, Barghouti has
