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Jailed Tanzim leader Marwan Barghouti. (AP Archives) Last update - 11:27 18/03/2008 Jailed Barghouti mulls running for Palestinian presidency By Avi Issacharoff , Haaretz Correspondent Tags: Mahmoud Abbas, Ismael Haniyeh  Jailed Tanzim leader Marwan Barghouti said Monday that he is considering running for the Palestinian Authority presidency in the next elections that are expected to take place in 2009 or 2010. "When the date of the elections is decided, I will make my decision," Barghouti said in a message he passed on to his attorney. Barghouti's comments came only a few hours after a poll showed that the Israel Defense Forces attacks in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip have boosted the popularity of the Islamist group's leader Ismail Haniyeh among Palestinians in that territory and in the West Bank. Advertisement The survey by the West Bank-based Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research showed that if new presidential elections were held, Haniyeh would receive 47 percent of the vote compared with 46 percent for President Mahmoud Abbas of the rival Fatah faction. The figures represented a sharp strengthening of Haniyeh's popularity. He served as prime minister in the Hamas-led government Abbas dismissed after Hamas seized the Gaza Strip from Fatah in June. But the survey also found that Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, imprisoned in Israel and seen as a possible Abbas successor, would defeat Haniyeh by a clear margin. The poll gave him 57 percent of the vote, compared to Haniyeh's 38 percent. The center's previous poll, in December, gave Gaza-based Haniyeh just 37 percent of a potential presidential vote compared with 56 percent for Abbas, whose peace efforts with Israel are opposed by Hamas. The latest poll was conducted shortly after Israel ended an offensive in the Gaza Strip in early March that killed more than 120 Palestinians, almost half of them were identified as civilians. Israel said the operation was aimed at stopping cross-border rocket fire from the Gaza Strip. According to the survey, Hamas's breaching of the Gaza Strip's Rafah border crossing with Egypt in January also contributed to Haniyeh's popularity among Palestinians. "These developments managed to present Hamas as successful in breaking the siege and as a victim of Israeli attacks," commentary accompanying the poll said. Lack of progress in Abbas's peace negotiations with Israel also gave Hamas a boost, the poll indicated. The survey found that if new parliamentary elections were to take place, Hamas would receive 35 percent of the vote and Fatah 42 percent, compared to 46 percent for Fatah and 34 percent for Hamas in an opinion poll in January. The current survey polled 1,270 Palestinians in Arab East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. It had a margin of error of three percentage points. Hamas and Fatah far apart ahead of Yemeni mediation bid Meanwhile, delegations from rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah will travel to Yemen this week to discuss reconcilation, but the groups' leaders will not attend the talks, officials said on Monday. The groups will meet separately with Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, but the absence of Hamas leader-in-exile Khaled Meshal and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah casts doubt on any success in ending hostilities between the factions. Hamas Islamists routed Fatah forces to seize control of the Gaza Strip in June. After the takeover, Abbas dismisssd a Hamas-led government and appointed a new Western-backed cabinet in the occupied West Bank. Officials loyal to Abbas said the Yemeni initiative calls on Hamas to hand over control of Gaza and agree to early presidential and parliamentary elections, conditions endorsed by Abbas but rejected by Hamas. Meshal was initially expected to lead the Islamist group's delegation, but a Hamas spokesman said the Damascus-based leader's deputy, Moussa Abu Marzouq, would be sent instead. The spokesman gave no reason for the change. Senior Abbas aide Azzam al-Ahmed will head the Fatah team. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said Hamas would only be willing to discuss reconciliation with Fatah in a "non-conditional dialogue". "We will respect any agreements that would result from that non-conditional and open meeting, if it takes place," Barhoum said. Related articles: Next IAF chief: IDF's entry into Gaza will stop rocket manufacture Poll: Palestinians prefer Fatah gov't over Hamas-led cabinet 10 Palestinians killed, 4 troops hurt in ongoing Gaza offensive Bookmark to del.icio.us   Free interpretation Yesha rabbinical council ruled it is forbidden for Jews to employ Arabs. Little Africa Tel Aviv is setting up a tent city to improve the living conditions of African refugees.   1.   Jailed for 5 cold-blooded murders 12:41  |  Stellios Marcou 18/03/08   2.   Avi Issacharoff: where did you get this from? 12:44  |  Klaus Heiss 18/03/08   3.   WILL Gilad Shalit be allowed to run? Pal apologists see the irony 13:48  |  PETER SM 18/03/08   4.   Our politicians get elected 1st, then arrested 14:42  |  Aphemia 18/03/08   5.   #1 15:27  |  Said 18/03/08   6.   #1 and #4: If I rememer correctly... 16:38  |  Outsider 18/03/08   7.   5 &6 19:49  |  larry from maine 18/03/08   8.   Why Barghouti is different 20:18  |  Joe Sittizen 18/03/08   9.   Hanieyeh More Popular Than Abbas 20:34  |  Yaakov Sullivan 18/03/08   10.   Thank you Aphemia 22:11  |  MaryRose 18/03/08   11.   INsanity 22:25  |  Gershon 18/03/08   12.   bargouti 23:55  |  marcel 18/03/08   13.   Rabin, Begin and Shamir "terrorists"? 01:01  |  Ave Maria 19/03/08   14.   Marwan Barghouti: Partner in Peace 03:39  |  Reader 19/03/08   15.   #13 No point sticking your head in the sand, Ave Maria 03:46  |  Johnboy 19/03/08   16.   Castration of sex offenders 08:37  |  Ilan 19/03/08   17.   Imagine Bargouti as the next PA president 09:16  |  Proud Israeli 19/03/08   18.   to Ave Maria: You say Begin was not a terrorist? 09:36  |  p.man 19/03/08   19.   is israelis agnet ready now 10:52  |  as 19/03/08   20.   #7 Not trying to whitewash murder, but... 13:07  |  Outsider 19/03/08   21.   #11 Martin McGuinness 13:09  |  Outsider 19/03/08   22.   #17 Come on, Proud Israeli, just say it out loud 13:58  |  Johnboy 19/03/08   23.   Israeli Great Genius Ben Eliezer released Yassin from jail 15:09  |  Absolute Sweden 19/03/08   24.   and mostlikely he will win 15:21  |  Rami 19/03/08   25.   Johnboy 22:14  |  Nemesis 19/03/08   26.   Marwan is THE man, the Jomo Kenyata of Palestinians 00:44  |  Nasser Hamidi 20/03/08   27.   Jailed Barghouti mulls running for Palestinian presidency 06:24  |  martin list, m.d. 20/03/08

Today Online Tom Segev: Merkel slams Qassams, but ignores Israel's actions Responses: 276 Egypt brokering Hamas-Israel deal for long-term Gaza truce Responses: 76 High Court closes off use of major highway to Palestinians Responses: 191 Study finds Israeli Jews increasingly racist toward Arabs Responses: 253 Security forces fear double Hezbollah attack in Israel, abroad Responses: 128 Rosner's Domain McCain rep to Jewish crowd: Christian right 'serious problem' Were Shakespeare's Plays Written By A Jewish Woman? (WTR) Rosner's Mailbox: I used to believe that you just hated Hillary Poll: Is the "road map" still relevant? Did Iraq have ties to Al Qaeda? (WTR) More Headlines 08:13 Egypt would supply Gaza power under draft deal 05:38 Student who helped kill gunman defends cop who didn't pursue him 01:45 Bin Laden slams Europe for anti-Islamic cartoons, vows reaction 08:14 McCain: Iranian threat to U.S. linked to Hamas, Hezbollah aid 08:23 Jewish Agency mulls closing its historic immigration department 08:28 Palestinian Americans warned of security profiling at B-G Airport 19:27 Yesha rabbinical council chief: Don't rent houses to Arabs 08:13 Obama belittles McCain for confusing Shi'ite and Sunni extremists 00:39 Rubinstein international piano competition / Cause for vexation 06:28 Sheldon Adelson wins millions in damages from Daily Mail 02:26 Foreign residents no longer vying for Jerusalem properties 06:53 Prisons Service: Underage girls treated inhumanely in custody Previous Editions Select Day 19 mar 18 mar 17 mar 16 mar 14 mar 13 mar 12 mar 11 mar 10 mar 09 mar 07 mar 06 mar

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