Word: fatah
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...Palestinian Authority, Barghouti has dominated international headlines. Secretary of State Colin Powell called Barghouti's "problematic," while Spanish foreign minister Miguel Moratinos dubbed it "a mistake." Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak lashed out at the prisoner's decision to run against Abbas, the chosen candidate of Barghouti's own Fatah organization, warning that "these things divide the Palestinians." There's no doubt that Barghouti's candidacy is inconvenient to those who had hoped that the elections could provide the sort of symbolic legitimacy that Arafat's own election had achieved in 1996, but this time for a man who Washington...
...More significant, however, is the steady torrent of rebukes directed at Barghouti from within the ranks of his natural base, the militant grassroots of Fatah who serve as the shock troops of the current intifadah via the al-Aksa Martyr's Brigade and other militia. They have been even more urgent and insistent in demanding that Barghouti drop out of the race in the name of the unity emphasized by all Palestinian factions in the wake of Yasser Arafat's passing. "We are against the candidacy of Marwan because it is contrary to the decision of the central committee...
...Having filed his candidacy papers citing pressure from supporters to stand and "protect the intifadah," Barghouti has to date given no indication that he'll heed such calls - and such is the resentment against what Abbas represents both among the Fatah grassroots and more widely among the Palestinian electorate that he may fancy his chances of prevailing. The latest polling data from the respected Ramallah-based Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research finds Barghouti in a statistical dead heat with Abbas among likely voters, with 13 percent still undecided...
...P.L.O. after Arafat's death, can survive the runup to the election for a new President, scheduled for Jan. 9. Two days after Arafat's funeral, gunmen opened fire inside a mourning tent in Gaza where Abbas was appearing, killing two of his bodyguards. Senior officials from Fatah, the main faction of the P.L.O., told TIME they are worried that more attempts to kill Abbas will be staged by groups within Fatah opposed to his election. Then there is the issue of the election's legitimacy. Fatah officials say that while Abbas will probably win, the lack of security...
...gave its presidential nomination to Mahmoud Abbas, favored by Israel and the West to succeed Arafat. But the signs of progress are still fragile. Palestinian officials are concerned about supporters of imprisoned Palestinian activist Marwan Barghouti, who lost his bid to be Fatah's presidential nominee. Senior Fatah officials told TIME that as many as 40% of the party's members may now boycott the election. The absence of a credible alternative to Abbas could also embolden the militant group Hamas to attempt to derail his election by attacking Israel. "There is a real sense that this is a moment...