Source: Jailed Palestinian leader plans election run

Israel is not prepared to release the Palestinian.
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) -- Marwan Barghouti, a leader of the Palestinian uprising jailed by Israel but perhaps the strongest candidate to oust Yasser Arafat's old guard of politicians, plans to run in upcoming presidential elections, a person close to Barghouti said Saturday.
The candidacy of Barghouti, who supports violence but says he wants peace with Israel, could shake up the calcified world of Palestinian politics. By law, elections are to be held by Jan. 9, or within 60 days of Arafat's death Thursday
Many believe the popular Barghouti is the only leader capable of unifying squabbling Palestinian factions, reining in militants and possibly restarting peace efforts with Israel.
Obstacle
Israel, however, is determined not to free Barghouti, who is serving multiple life terms for his role in the killings of four Israelis and a Greek monk.
Barghouti also could represent the best hope for Arafat's Fatah movement to beat down a challenge by the increasingly popular hard-line Islamic militant group Hamas, which is considering running a candidate.
"When he takes that decision [to run], we will be near him and we will support him," said Ahmed Ghneim, a senior Fatah leader and another member of the younger guard. "I think he has the best chances of anybody in the movement to win the elections."
Barghouti's wife, Fadwa, said she was unaware of her husband's plans. But his brother Hisham said: "His people around him, from the Fatah and Tanzim [Fatah rank-and-file], want him, and if they want him, he is looking to be president."
After Arafat's death Thursday, Parliament Speaker Rauhi Fattouh was sworn in as the caretaker leader of the Palestinian Authority.
Choosing a leader
Though some officials have talked of amending the law to allow parliament to choose the new leader, Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said Saturday that elections would be held by Jan. 9. Fattouh was to meet today with elections officials to decide whether to hold the poll Jan. 7 or Jan. 9, Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat said.
Ammar Dweik, deputy chairman of the Palestinian election commission, said the Palestinians were ready to hold their first presidential election since 1996, noting that a voter registration drive was recently completed.
"There is a political will to conduct the elections," he said. "We are ready technically. All we need is a decree to set a date."
Rami Hamdallah, chairman of the Palestinian election committee, called on the international community to pressure Israel to allow the elections to go smoothly, especially in disputed east Jerusalem.
Israeli police raided registration stations several months ago, preventing most east Jerusalem residents from registering. A senior Israeli official said on condition of anonymity that Israel had not been formally contacted about the matter.
Another question is whether Hamas will field a candidate. Osama Hamdan, a Hamas leader in Beirut, Lebanon, said the group is deliberating whether to run a candidate. A senior Hamas official in Gaza, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the group's leaders would meet soon and were considering the issue seriously.
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