Jailed senior Fatah official Marwan Barghouti was placed in isolation for seven days Wednesday at Hadarim Prison after calling for armed resistance against Israel.
A prison discipline committee determined that Barghouti should be punished for "inciting violence."
He was also fined several hundred shekels for the offense.
On Tuesday, in a letter he published to mark the 10th anniversary of Yasser Arafat’s death, Barghouti said that violence is the quickest way for Palestinians to free themselves from the occupation.
Palestinians should resort to “comprehensive resistance and the rifle” and end their security cooperation with Israel, said Barghouti.
He is serving five life sentences in prison for his role in terrorist attacks during the second intifada.
Barghouti, in his letter, was clear about his intentions. He urged Palestinians to revive the option of “resistance.” He also called on the PA leadership to boycott Israel and halt security coordination between its security forces and the IDF in the West Bank.
Barghouti said that security coordination with Israel “solidifies occupation and causes huge damage to the national interests of the Palestinian people.”
He said that it was time for the PA to reconsider its functions and tasks. Its first and top mission should be to support “comprehensive resistance” against Israel, he added.
Barghouti called on the Palestinians to stick to Arafat’s legacy, principles, “comprehensive resistance and rifle.”
He wrote that Arafat and slain Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine leaders were “martyred while they were still carrying the rifle.”
The top Fatah leader urged PA leadership to take a “brave and immediate” decision to go to the UN Security Council and join all international organizations, first and foremost the International Criminal Court.
“It’s time to stop betting on the mirage of negotiations [with Israel],” Barghouti stressed.
