Last update - 08:07 15/12/2005
Marwan Barghouti quits PA's Fatah faction, forms new party
By News Agencies
Jailed Palestinian uprising leader Marwan Barghouti and a number of leading Fatah officials banded together Wednesday night to run for parliament on a competing ticket for the January 25 elections.
Joining Barghouti on the new list are Palestinians Civil Affairs Minister Mohammed Dahlan and senior Palestinian security advisor Jibril Rajoub.
A number of Barghouti associates, including his wife Fadwa, Palestinian parliament member Kadoura Fares, Dahlan and senior Fatah official in Gaza Samir Masharawi arrived at the Ramallah election headquarters and submitted a list of candidates, just one hour before the election deadline.
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"We have registered an independent list under the name, 'The Future,' headed by Marwan Barghouti," Saeb Nimr, Barghouti's campaign manager, told reporters.
Barghouti, serving five life terms in an Israeli prison, has won West Bank primary elections conducted by Fatah, but old-time Fatah leaders, headed by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, tried to insert old guard figures in the list ahead of the younger leaders, setting off a rebellion.
Barghouti seeks the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, but says violence is justified to drive Israel out of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Rival Fatah men trade shots in Gaza prior to election deadline
Rival factions of the ruling Fatah party clashed in a shootout at party headquarters in Gaza City on Wednesday shortly after masked gunmen took over the building, deepening a political crisis ahead of a key election deadline. Three people were wounded.
The shootout was the latest - and most serious - incident in a rash of violence in recent days as the party prepares to announce its candidates for the parliamentary elections. Abbas, along with rival parties, faced a midnight deadline to present the party's candidate list.
Abbas held primaries in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in recent weeks to determine who would represent the party in the election. But he decided to cancel the results of the primaries in some areas - including Gaza - due to violence, the burning of ballot boxes and other election violations. He said he would appoint candidates in those areas.
The gunmen who occupied the Fatah headquarters Wednesday - taking up position on the building's rooftops, balconies and around the facade - were protesting the appointments, demanding that the primary results be respected. The gunmen were part of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a militant group linked to Fatah.
A security force headed by the chief bodyguard to Fatah's secretary-general in Gaza rushed to the building, sparking Wednesday's gunbattle. The shooting subsided after several minutes, and dozens of bodyguards and security personnel retook control of the building.
Police also took up positions at other buildings that could be targeted, including Abbas' office and residence.
Ismail Hanieh tops Hamas candidate list for Jan. elections
The militant group Hamas, forging ahead with plans to challenge Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party at the polls, submitted its official list of candidates on Wednesday for next month's parliamentary election.
Sources in Hamas said Ismail Hanieh, a leader of the group's more pragmatic wing, tops the list, registered under the name "The List of Change and Reform." The list of 62 contenders includes 10 women.
Hamas had been unable to register its list on Tuesday after violence by gunmen from Fatah forced the Central Elections Committee to suspend operations briefly out of fears for the safety of employees.
Hamas, which has wide popular sway in Gaza, is expected to make major inroads on the ruling Fatah in legislative polls seen as a test of Abbas's leadership following Israel's September withdrawal from the Strip.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/657860.html
W MARWAN BARGHOUTI E IL SUO NUOVO PARTITO!
BARGHOUTI LIBERO!
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