JERUSALEM Ñ Israel has been quietly examining the option of freeing
a leading Palestinian insurgent loyal to Palestinian Authority Chairman
Yasser Arafat.
Israeli security agencies have been debating the prospect of releasing
Marwan Barghouti, head of the Fatah movement in the West Bank and on trial
with being a leading organizer of the Palestinian war against Israel.
Barghouti, who is also a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, is
being tried in a Tel Aviv court for a series of attacks on Israeli civilians
in the West Bank.
Security sources said the release of Barghouti could constitute an
Israeli goodwill gesture to PA Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas in an effort to
ensure a Palestinian ceasefire. They said Barghouti could be the only
Palestinian with enough authority to stop Fatah attacks on Israeli
positions.
As a returning leader of Fatah, the sources said, Barghouti could be
persuaded to dismantle the Fatah-aligned Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a key
demand by Israel and one adopted by Abbas. Arafat is said to oppose such a
step.
"Barghouti is seen as a new generation leader who is not intimidated by
Arafat and could come to an agreement with us," a senior Israeli security
source said. "He will be important in any attempt to sideline Arafat or
replace him should he die or become incapacitated."
The indictment against Barghouti accuses him of ordering and financing a
total of 37 attacks. The attacks were said to have killed 26 people and
injured scores of others.
For his part, Barghouti has acknowledged ordering attacks on Israeli
targets in the West Bank. But he has refused to recognize Israel's right to
prosecute him and has disrupted proceedings in the Tel Aviv court.
"I think he will be released," Sari Nusseibeh, a leading Palestinian who
has visited Barghouti in court, said. "It's inevitable."
Israeli security officials said Barghouti remains in contact with
Palestinian insurgents. On Monday, Israeli Public Security Minister Tzachi
Hanegbi instructed that Barghouti be denied visitation rights for another
three months. A government statement said Barghouti, held in an Israeli
maximum-security facility, "continued to organize terror activity from his
prison cell."
