Barghouti placed in solitary confinement over call for uprising

Jailed Fatah leader also denied visiting rights after smuggling letter to Ramallah in which he said Palestinians should 'oppose the occupation in all means'

Raanan Ben-Zur|Published: 04.01.12 , 23:54

Marwan Barghouti was placed in solitary confinement in Hadarim prison on Sunday after he called for a "large-scale popular resistance" against Israel last week.

The jailed Fatah leader, who is serving five life sentences, will remain isolated for a week. He will also be denied visiting rights for a month and will not be permitted to purchase goods at the prison's canteen during this time.

In July Barghouti was placed in solitary confinement after a cell phone was found in his cell.

In a missive read to a crowd of his supporters in Ramallah last week to mark the 10th anniversary of Operation Defensive Shield in the West Bank, during which he was apprehended by IDF forces, Barghouti called on the Palestinian Authority to "stop all forms of security and economic coordination (with Israel) in all areas immediately.

מרואן ברגותי. לא פעם ראשונה בבידוד (צילום: גיל יוחנן)

'No partner.' Barghouti (Archive photo: Gil Yohanan)

He also urged the Palestinian leadership to condition the resumption of peace talks on the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. In the message, Barghouti expressed his support for combining a popular uprising with diplomatic efforts.

"It must be understood that there is no partner for peace in Israel when the settlements have doubled. It is the Palestinian people's right to oppose the occupation in all means, and the resistance must be focused on the 1967 territories," he wrote.

Speaking to Ynet, Barghouti's attorney said his client did not call for another intifada but for non-violent popular resistance. The attorney said the Palestinian Authority also supports this type of resistance.

The Israel Prison Service is not certain how Barghouti managed to smuggle the letter out of the prison.