Israelis seize Palestinian presidential candidate in Old City

Aides to Mustafa Barghouthi said he was taken into custody while meeting Palestinians in Jerusalem’s walled Old City. "The police told him, ‘We have an arrest warrant for you’, and dragged him away," said Ihad al-Jariri, campaign manager for the independent candidate.

Police said that Mr Barghouthi, one of seven Palestinians running in the 9 January presidential elections in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, was suspected of violating his Israeli-issued entry permit.

Earlier this month, Mr Barghouthi said Israeli troops beat and briefly detained him at a checkpoint outside the West Bank city of Jenin. The army said Mr Barghouthi and his entourage had refused to submit to a routine car search.

Meanwhile, Israel yesterday released 159 Palestinian prisoners in a gesture aimed at both Egypt and the leading Palestinian candidate to succeed the late Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas.

Mr Abbas, who has made prisoner releases part of his campaign for the elections, said the releases fell far short of what is required. "I respect the release of every prisoner, but we need a serious release process," he told reporters.

The move came as Hamas candidates prepared to take power in nine out of 26 local councils contested in the municipal elections of 23 December. The group’s gains, announced on Sunday, were seen to be at the expense of Mr Abbas’ ruling Fatah movement, which took at least 13 councils. For the Hamas movement, the election brings about an unprecedented foray into governance.

In Obadeiah, near Bethlehem, three women candidates were among seven elected from the Hamas-affiliated Reform Bloc, which now controls the council. One of them, Huda Al-Asa, a nurse, said it was her experience running a charitable association, the Obadeiah Women’s Society, together with the two other women candidates, that contributed to her appeal. "I used to volunteer during sieges and closures, helping women deliver babies and helping injured people."

Success at the local level is likely to encourage Hamas, which is not fielding a candidate for the presidential elections, to participate in the May poll for the Palestinian legislative council. Hisham Ahmed, a political scientist at Bir Zeit University, said Hamas has scored a major victory as most of the contested municipalities had been considered Fatah strongholds.