The imprisoned military commander Marwan Barghouti dropped out of the Palestinian presidential race on Sunday, less than a fortnight after he threw the campaign into turmoil by breaking with the Fatah movement and becoming an independent candidate.
The news came as Palestinian guerrillas killed at least four Israeli soldiers after tunnelling under a military post near the border crossing point at Rafah, between Gaza and Egypt, and detonating more than a tonne of explosives.
The attacks will be a blow to the Palestinian leadership’s attempts to draw militant groups into a ceasefire, and are likely to prompt a hard Israeli response.
In an open letter from the Israeli jail where he is serving five life terms, Barghouti was implicitly critical of the Fatah leadership for apparently abandoning armed resistance, but indicated he would pull out of the race. His wife, Fadwa, is expected to rescind his candidacy on Monday.
In the letter, Barghouti threw his support behind the leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation and official Fatah candidate, Mahmoud Abbas, who is once again the clear favourite to win the January 9 election. Some opinion polls had indicated a tight race between Barghouti and Abbas, who is trying to curb the violence in favour of a political path he believes will win back international support and force Israel to return to negotiations.
Barghouti said his candidacy had been a message of defiance to his Israeli jailers and a way to confront the occupation. He called on the Palestinian leadership to maintain armed resistance, to demand a halt to construction of Jewish settlements and the ”security” barrier, and not to sign a deal with Israel that did not have the approval of the Palestinian people.
Barghouti had come under pressure from allies within Fatah not to split the movement. Friends said he entered the race because he feared Abbas was too willing to compromise and might abandon core demands made by Yasser Arafat over east Jerusalem, a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, and the right of refugees to return.
But Barghouti was also concerned that Abbas and the Palestinian prime minister, Ahmed Qureia, who assumed power after Arafat’s death last month, were colluding with Israel to keep her husband in jail.
Hamas and a little known group calling itself the Fatah Hawks claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack, saying it was in revenge for Arafat’s ”assassination”.
There is still a widespread belief among Palestinians that he was poisoned by Israeli agents.
After the blast, Palestinian gunmen opened fire on troops attempting to rescue their colleagues. About 10 soldiers were injured and one was reported missing in addition to those killed. At least one Palestinian fighter was killed.
Israel Army Radio said several structures collapsed.
Shortly before the attacks, the Israeli Cabinet had agreed in principal to release up to 200 Palestinian prisoners as a goodwill gesture to the new leadership. It was not clear whether the Cabinet would now change its mind.
On Tuesday, Palestinian fighters killed an Israeli soldier with a bomb placed at a tunnel entrance near the Egyptian border, prompting an Israeli attack that killed four Palestinians.
Earlier on Sunday, five Palestinian children were wounded by Israeli tank fire in to Khan Yunis refugee camp after homemade mortars were fired into neighbouring Jewish settlements. – Guardian Unlimited Â