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Source: http://www.timesofisrael.com/marwan-barghoutis-great-gamble/
Barghouti's Gamble
(Times of Israel) Avi Issacharoff - The hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners is not a spontaneous response to some new tension between the Israel Prisons Service and the Palestinian prisoners. The strike is a political step by Marwan Barghouti, the Fatah leader, who is determined to demonstrate his mastery of Palestinian politics. Barghouti has not been particularly outspoken when it comes to Palestinian prisoners' rights over the last 15 years. So what happened? The answer, in all likelihood, lies in his disappointment with the current Fatah leadership, and especially its chairman, PA President Mahmoud Abbas, who have worked hard to minimize his influence in its top echelons. Barghouti holds the top slot in Fatah's Central Committee, but his backers have been blocked, through procedural and other measures, from the party's leadership ranks. Not every Fatah prisoner has joined the strike, in part because some suspect Barghouti is attempting to use them for his own political ends. Hamas prisoners, too, even as they declare their support, are sitting it out for the moment.