Just hours before the deadline for submitting candidacies this week, Barghouti caved in to pressure from his wife and filed the papers declaring his candidacy. Barghouti is serving several life sentences for murdering Jews.
Barghouti had originally said that he would not run, and would instead support current PA leader Mahmoud Abbas, known as Abu Mazen. His wife convinced him, however, that this was his only chance at being freed from prison. She said that if Abu Mazen was elected, he would have no interest in making efforts to have a popular potential competitor such as Barghouti return to the public arena.
Mrs. Barghouti also said that her husband, head of the terrorist Tanzim militia, has received many letters in prison, urging him to run for the PA premiership.
Barghouti was found guilty by the Tel Aviv District Court this past May of organizing three terrorist attacks in which five Israelis were murdered; of planning a fourth attack; and of membership in a terrorist organization. The court sentenced him to five life sentences plus 40 years. Barghouti was acquitted of 33 other murders, with the court stating that the evidence in those cases showed only his indirect involvement.
The murders that Barghouti was found to have personally authorized and organized were the Sea Food Market attack in Tel Aviv in which three Jews were killed in March 2002, the murderous shooting of Yoela Chen at a Givat Ze'ev gas station in January 2002, and that of a Greek Orthodox monk on the highway to Maaleh Adumim in June 2001.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was asked yesterday about Barghouti's candidacy. Sharon said he has no interest in intervening in the PA's internal affairs, and that Barghouti can certainly run for office, "but if he wins, he will have to run the PA with all the restrictions of a prisoner in jail."
Though some observers have said that it is too early to know whether Abu Mazen will defeat Barghouti, Dr. David Bukai - a political scientist from the University of Haifa - does not agree. "It's only the Israeli press who has made Barghouti so popular," Bukai said yesterday. "He was just a hooligan who grew up to be a mass murderer. Only a country bent on self-destruction would grant him political leadership and would have its admiring media running after him and his wife. He must not be allowed to run, and he must not be quoted in the press."
He said that Abu Mazen is no different than Arafat, and that "a new generation of political leadership will be required in order to change the PA's theme [of destroying Israel]."
Abu Mazen served as the PLO's treasurer for many years under Yasser Arafat, funding the organization's many murdereous attacks for well over 20 years.
Regarding Prime Minister Sharon's statements this week that incitement in the PA has decreased in the weeks since Arafat's death, Bukai said, "It's politicians' job to sell utopia, while it’s the experts' jobs to sell the reality as it is. It could be that the incitement has lessened, and that Abu Mazen will win, and there will be declarations, meetings, smiles and signings. But none of this changes the reality that the PA is currently unable to change its basic stance on the main issues."
"Israel must not make the same Oslo mistake," Dr. Bukai continued, "of settling side issues with the PA before it knows whether there is a change in the PA's stance on the major issues. It must be made clear right now: Jerusalem is not on the table. Only when Washington and London become divided cities will we be able to talk about dividing Jerusalem."
Abu Mazen is quite dangerous, as well, Dr. Bukai says: "Abu Mazen is working towards having a 'people's war.' He wants to send women and children to giant demonstrations against Israeli tanks, accompanied by media coverage from all around the world. Israel knew how to fight Arafat's terrorists, but it will have difficulty dealing with tens of thousands of 'peace marchers' towards Jerusalem or an army camp. This is frightening, and this is what Abu Mazen wants."
Abu Mazen is powerless to disarm the terrorist organizations, Bukai notes. Abu Mazen himself told Newsweek this week, "We have to deal with [Hamas] delicately. We have to ask them to stop everything - to have law and order." Bukai said that in the end, following whatever negotiations are held, the terrorists will be unsatisfied and will resume their violence and murder, "and then we will see that they have vast amounts of weaponry."
Barghouti had originally said that he would not run, and would instead support current PA leader Mahmoud Abbas, known as Abu Mazen. His wife convinced him, however, that this was his only chance at being freed from prison. She said that if Abu Mazen was elected, he would have no interest in making efforts to have a popular potential competitor such as Barghouti return to the public arena.
Mrs. Barghouti also said that her husband, head of the terrorist Tanzim militia, has received many letters in prison, urging him to run for the PA premiership.
Barghouti was found guilty by the Tel Aviv District Court this past May of organizing three terrorist attacks in which five Israelis were murdered; of planning a fourth attack; and of membership in a terrorist organization. The court sentenced him to five life sentences plus 40 years. Barghouti was acquitted of 33 other murders, with the court stating that the evidence in those cases showed only his indirect involvement.
The murders that Barghouti was found to have personally authorized and organized were the Sea Food Market attack in Tel Aviv in which three Jews were killed in March 2002, the murderous shooting of Yoela Chen at a Givat Ze'ev gas station in January 2002, and that of a Greek Orthodox monk on the highway to Maaleh Adumim in June 2001.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was asked yesterday about Barghouti's candidacy. Sharon said he has no interest in intervening in the PA's internal affairs, and that Barghouti can certainly run for office, "but if he wins, he will have to run the PA with all the restrictions of a prisoner in jail."
Though some observers have said that it is too early to know whether Abu Mazen will defeat Barghouti, Dr. David Bukai - a political scientist from the University of Haifa - does not agree. "It's only the Israeli press who has made Barghouti so popular," Bukai said yesterday. "He was just a hooligan who grew up to be a mass murderer. Only a country bent on self-destruction would grant him political leadership and would have its admiring media running after him and his wife. He must not be allowed to run, and he must not be quoted in the press."
He said that Abu Mazen is no different than Arafat, and that "a new generation of political leadership will be required in order to change the PA's theme [of destroying Israel]."
Abu Mazen served as the PLO's treasurer for many years under Yasser Arafat, funding the organization's many murdereous attacks for well over 20 years.
Regarding Prime Minister Sharon's statements this week that incitement in the PA has decreased in the weeks since Arafat's death, Bukai said, "It's politicians' job to sell utopia, while it’s the experts' jobs to sell the reality as it is. It could be that the incitement has lessened, and that Abu Mazen will win, and there will be declarations, meetings, smiles and signings. But none of this changes the reality that the PA is currently unable to change its basic stance on the main issues."
"Israel must not make the same Oslo mistake," Dr. Bukai continued, "of settling side issues with the PA before it knows whether there is a change in the PA's stance on the major issues. It must be made clear right now: Jerusalem is not on the table. Only when Washington and London become divided cities will we be able to talk about dividing Jerusalem."
Abu Mazen is quite dangerous, as well, Dr. Bukai says: "Abu Mazen is working towards having a 'people's war.' He wants to send women and children to giant demonstrations against Israeli tanks, accompanied by media coverage from all around the world. Israel knew how to fight Arafat's terrorists, but it will have difficulty dealing with tens of thousands of 'peace marchers' towards Jerusalem or an army camp. This is frightening, and this is what Abu Mazen wants."
Abu Mazen is powerless to disarm the terrorist organizations, Bukai notes. Abu Mazen himself told Newsweek this week, "We have to deal with [Hamas] delicately. We have to ask them to stop everything - to have law and order." Bukai said that in the end, following whatever negotiations are held, the terrorists will be unsatisfied and will resume their violence and murder, "and then we will see that they have vast amounts of weaponry."