Jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti was placed in solitary confinement after he called on Palestinians to launch a popular resistance campaign against Israel.
The former Fatah leader, who is serving five life sentences in an Israeli prison for his role in five murders, in a statement in advance of Land Day called on the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority to stop all coordination with Israel in the economic and security realms and to stop peace negotiations.
Barghouti, considered a potential next president of the Palestinian Authority, reportedly will remain in solitary confinement for a week and also will be denied visiting rights for a month.
It is the first time that Barghouti, who has been in prison since 2002, has called for a cessation of peace negotiations with Israel. He also called for a boycott of all Israeli products.
The Israeli Prisons Service told the Jerusalem Post that Barghouti was not placed in solitary because of the content of the letter but because he sent a letter without authorization. — jta