Marwan Barghouthi issues statement from prison cell

Monday June 18, 2007 18:49 by John Smith - IMEMC

Marwan Barghouthi, the former Tanzim leader, currently serving five life sentences in Israel, has released a press statement voicing his support of the decision of President Abbas to declare an emergency government and criticising Hamas for the activities in the Gaza Strip.

The text of Barghouthi’s statement follows:

From my dark, small prison cell, I address the great Palestinian people to do the following:

1. Condemn the military coup against the legitimate Palestinian Authority and its institutions in the Gaza Strip.

2. Consider the military coup by Hamas in Gaza a dangerous threat to the Palestinian unity and cause, a shift in the choice of resistance and the destruction of the principles of partnership.

3. Consider the coup a threat to the democratic process and democratic choice, which led Hamas to win the legislative elections.

4. Fully support the decision to compose a new Palestinian government under Salam Fayyad, hoping it will restore the sovereignty of law and end the state of chaos in order to protect the Palestinian unity.

5. Censure any attacks against people or institutions of the Hamas movement in the West Bank, and absolutely refuse the extension of chaos into the West Bank.

6. Call on President Abbas, as the general commander of the Fatah movement, to appoint a new leadership of Fatah in the Gaza Strip.

7. Dismiss all the leaders of the security services and appoint new leaders capable of reforming and developing the security institutions, relying on professionalism. This will render the security services more efficient in attempts to defend the Palestinian homeland and citizens

Barghouthi, imprisoned in 2004, has been the been the subject of many campaigns designed to bring about his release, with even Shimon Peres declaring in 2007 that he would sign a presidential pardon for Barghouthi if elected to the Israeli presidency.

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