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Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/31/world/middleeast/palestinian-election-barghouti.html
Palestinian Jailed for Murder Will Challenge Abbas' Party in Election
(New York Times) Patrick Kingsley - Supporters of Marwan Barghouti, 61, a popular Palestinian militant sentenced to five life terms in 2004 for involvement in the murder of five Israelis, on Wednesday announced they will form a separate electoral slate that will compete against PA President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah slate in the elections in May. Barghouti's faction joined forces with Nasser al-Kidwa, a nephew of Yasir Arafat and a former Palestinian envoy to the UN. Analysts believe their alliance could split the vote among Fatah supporters, which could benefit Hamas. Ghaith al-Omari, a former adviser to Abbas and a senior analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said, "Barghouti and Kidwa...have a very deep reservoir of legitimacy in the [Fatah] party and they represent a major challenge to Abbas' hold on power."