Word: intifadah
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...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...
...Barghouti does withdraw, it will be primarily because he heeded the call of the militants warning him that his candidacy was tactically ill-advised. They see this as the wrong time to force the Palestinian electorate to make a fundamental strategic choice between the intifadah and Abbas's diplomacy. Instead, in the best traditions of Arafat, they want both tendencies, and everything in between, represented under the banner of a single candidate around whom they can circle the wagons...
...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...
...Palestinian observers believe Barghouti may have decided to enter the race after Abbas failed to meet the political price for his support - putting prisoner releases at the top of the negotiating agenda - while others have suggested his decision reflects a fear of being eclipsed by rivals among his own "intifadah" generation.) Some of those restraints may be formalized in March, when Palestinian legislative and local elections are to be held which will be contested not only by many more of the Fatah grassroots candidates, but also - on the basis of current indications - by Hamas, which can credibly expect...
...Barghouti, of course, is the public face of the intifadah, a popular West Bank Fatah Secretary General who cut his political teeth in the streets of Ramallah and the prison cells of Israel during first intidafah (1987-1991) while Abbas and the rest of Arafat's inner circle plied the diplomatic circuit from their headquarters in far-off Tunisia. The fact of his imprisonment by Israel after being convicted of terrorism - he didn't bother to defend himself, dismissing not only the charges but the court's right to try him - has done nothing to diminish his allure...