THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF PALESTINE:

Who is Benefiting from Barghouti's Imprisonment? (Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed, 4/17/10, Asharq Alawasat)

Rumour has it that some leading figures in the Palestinian Authority are not too keen on the release of Marwan Barghouti, who has spent the past eight years in an Israeli jail without a glimmer of hope of this release actually happening. There is a similar belief that Hamas also fears his release due to his popularity that might overshadow the popularity of Hamas. Barghouti’s political program resembles Hamas’ and so does his language. Above all, he is a serious contender for the leadership position on the other side.

It does not matter what the Palestinians think of him or whether or not they are conspiring against him because the key to his prison cell is in the hands of the Israelis who will not set him free without intense international pressure. Israel is fully aware that there are two very dangerous factors regarding Barghouti: he is a popular leader within Fatah, which no other Fatah member enjoys, and he is accepted internationally, and the same cannot be said about anybody in Hamas.

The ultimate compliment paid to Mr. Barghouti is the belief that Israel jailed him just to increase his street credibility in Palestine.

Posted by Orrin Judd at April 17, 2010 12:54 PM