Israel's Environment Minister and former senior security official Gideon Ezra called Tuesday for the release of imprisoned Fatah-Tanzim leader Marwan Barghouti in order to support Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. Barghouti is serving five life sentences.
In an interview with Israel Radio, Ezra maintained that "Abbas is lacking support." Referring to jailed senior Fatah leaders, many of whom enjoy wide support in the West Bank, the minister said, "if these people are in prisons, they must be freed. I would have freed Barghouti a while ago. Abbas needs able leaders in addition to [current Prime Minister] Salam Fayyad."
Ezra had said that Barghouti's release could reduce "terror and strengthen Fatah as a moderate factor."
Meanwhile, dozens of Fatah loyalists, including security men, entered Egypt from Gaza overnight fearing they may be targeted by Hamas men who have seized control of the Gaza Strip, Egyptian security officials said on Tuesday. According to Reuters, they said about 70 men were found by border agents on the Egyptian side of the Gaza-Egypt frontier on Monday night, and that some were police officers with their weapons.
More than 340 Palestinians have now taken refuge in Egypt since last week's Hamas takeover of Gaza Strip, the officials said. "Palestinian policemen and civilians entered Egypt via a border point north of the Salaheddin gate and have been transported to central security camps in Rafah," an Egyptian security official in north Sinai told Reuters.
