Israel Won't Interfere in Barghouti's Candidacy, Sharon Says
Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said on Thursday that Israel would not interfere with convicted terrorist leader Marwan Barghouti's choice to run for Palestinian Authority president, but he would not be freed from prison.
Barghouti's wife, Fadwa, announced on Wednesday that her husband had reversed an earlier decision not to stand for the post vacated when PLO leader Yasser Arafat died last month and would now run, angering some Palestinians.
According to reports, Fadwa registered her husband before the midnight deadline, and his brother paid the $3,000 registration fee.
PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), 69, was chosen as Fatah's official candidate and was favored to win the election, but he was a contemporary of Arafat's and does not enjoy the popular support of the much younger Barghouti, who is in his mid-40s.
As leader of Arafat's Tanzim in the West Bank, Barghouti was fingered by Israeli security officials -- after Arafat -- as being in charge of the terrorist war against Israel.
Israel seized Barghouti two years ago and brought him to trial for involvement in numerous terrorist attacks. Although Barghouti maintained his innocence, he refused to defend himself, arguing that the Israeli court had no right to try him. He was nevertheless convicted of ordering the murder of several Israelis and a Greek monk.
Asked about the prospects of Barghouti running for Palestinian Authority president in the Jan. 9 elections, Sharon replied that Israel would not get involved but made it clear he would not be freed from prison in any case.
"We cannot interfere in the declaration of the running [for president] of Barghouti," Sharon told reporters in Jerusalem. "But if you ask me if he can work, he can work within the framework of the conditions of the prison he is in."
According to Aaron Lerner, director of the Independent Media Review and Analysis, Barghouti cannot legally even run in the elections.
According to the Israeli-Palestinian interim agreement, "candidates, parties or coalitions will be refused, and such nomination or registration once made will be canceled, if such candidates, parties or coalitions ... pursue the implementation of their aims by unlawful or non-democratic means."
"Marwan Barghouti is currently serving life imprisonment in Israel for ordering and funding terror killings," Lerner said.
"His crimes disqualify him from being a candidate for either president of the PA or a candidate for the Palestine Legislative Council (PLC)," Lerner added.
"By the same token, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other groups that 'pursue the
implementation of their aims by unlawful ... means' do not qualify to run for the PLC," he said.
Likewise, even Fatah, which includes the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and is responsible for many deadly terrorist attacks, does not qualify to run for the PLC, he added.
Secretary of State Colin Powell also said that there could be problems with Barghouti's candidacy.
"He is in Israeli custody for crimes he was found guilty of, which makes it somewhat problematic for his candidacy," Powell said.
The international community has been pinning its hopes on the election of a new Palestinian leadership to fight Palestinian terrorism and incitement -- a precursor to resuscitating the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Sharon said that he sees in the current developments an "historic opportunity" to make progress in the peace process.
If the soon-to-be-elected new Palestinian leadership will fight terror and destroy its infrastructure, "our reaction will be positive," Sharon said.
Sharon reiterated his demand that the Palestinians put an end to incitement, which calls for the murder of Jews and "educates the next generation in the hatred of Israel in order to overthrow the vision of peace." But he said that since he first challenged the Palestinian leadership two weeks ago to do so, "the level of incitement went down."
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