Dichter comes out against releasing Barghouti

Public Security Minister Avi Dichter yesterday told the cabinet that he was opposed to releasing Marwan Barghouti, a Palestinian militant serving a prolonged prison term for murder and terrorism.

"Barghouti is under the criterion of killer with thick blood on his hands, and he is to remain in prison to his last day on Earth," Dichter said during the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.

Dichter was responding to a recent statement by his colleagues, Infrastructures Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer and Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai, who argued for Barghouti's release in the framework of peace talks with the Palestinian Authority.

Dichter went on to deny that Ofer Dekel, who is in charge of retrieving captive soldiers at the Prime Minister's Office, went to visit Barghouti at Hadarim Prison, where the former Fatah head is serving his sentence.

But Ben-Eliezer says that Barghouti is not being released because of internal Palestinian political considerations. In an interview for Army Radio, Ben Eliezer yesterday said that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is delaying Barghouti's release because Abbas fears Barghouti might become a powerful rival if he is set free.

"If Barghouti's release comes up during peace talks, I will be the first to vote in favor. I'm fighting for his release so that we will have someone who is able to discuss a permanent agreement with us," Ben-Eliezer said.

Barghouti was convicted for five murders of Israeli citizens.

Yuval Azoulay, Nadav Shragai and Avi Issacharoff contributed to this article.