Kim Bullimore, West Bank
Palestinian presidential candidate Mustafa Barghouti was beaten by Israeli occupation forces as he toured the West Bank as part of his election campaign.
Barghouti, a leading democracy and civil rights advocate and co-founder of the Palestine National Initiative had been campaigning in Jenin when he was stopped at a checkpoint on his way to Ramallah. According to Barghouti, Israeli soldiers began to beat his assistants and he intervened and was beaten on the back, hands and around the neck and was then pinned to the ground at gunpoint. Barghouti said that he and his companions were forced to remain on the ground for over an hour.
The Israeli security forces denied any wrongdoing, saying that Barghouti had failed to get approval to travel throughout the West Bank. Despite Israeli assurances that candidates for the January 9 presidential elections would be allowed to campaign freely, Israeli has not lifted restrictions that require candidates to obtain a permit to attend any election campaign meeting inside Palestinian cities, villages and refugee camps.
Barghouti had complained earlier in the day about Israeli restrictions on some candidates. According to one of Barghouti's advisors, he has also been denied entry to campaign in Gaza and Hebron. Similar complaints have been made by another presidential candidate, Hassan Khreisha, the acting president of the Palestinian Legislative Council.
Barghouti and Khreisha argued that the only candidate among the 10 standing allowed freedom of movement by Israel was Mahmud Abbas. Barghouti argued that this constitutes political interference by Israel in the Palestinian elections.
This is not the only Israeli interference in the election. Palestinians living in Israel will only be allowed to vote at five polling stations in East Jerusalem, and their ballots will be counted as "absentee votes", despite East Jerusalem being part of Palestine under international law. Israel has also continued to carry out military campaigns and target assassinations in the West Bank. On December 9, Israeli security forces attempted to assassinate Jamal Abul Samhadana, the leader of the Popular Resistance Committee.
Jailed presidential candidate, Marwan Barghouti, is reportedly considering withdrawing. According to Ha'aretz, Barghouti told Knesset member Talab al Sana that he would "take no step that would endanger Fatah's internal unity". A recent Bir Zeit University poll showed Barghouti at 44%, with Abbas at 42%. Fatah, founded by Yasser Arafat in 1957 to fight the occupation, is the dominant political force in Palestine and includes many different factions.
According to senior Fatah officials, Barghouti will consider withdrawing his nomination, if his political demands are met by Abbas. Barghouti's demands include that Abbas insist on East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, a just solution to the Palestinian refugee situation, release of Palestinian political prisoners and a halt to Israel's killing of militants. Barghouti has reportedly called on Abbas to also demand that Israel withdraws from the West Bank before the election and halts the construction of the illegal Apartheid Wall.
From 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly, December 15, 2004.
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