Hamas leaders in West Bank warn of Israeli intimidation ahead of elections
Israeli intelligence warned a prominent Hamas leader in the West Bank against running in the Palestinian elections.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Israeli intelligence summoned Jan. 24 Omar al-Barghouti, a 67-year-old leader in the Hamas movement, from the village of Kober, north of Ramallah, and warned him against running in the upcoming Palestinian elections.
Fifteen years since elections were last held in the Palestinian territories, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree Jan. 15 setting the dates for general elections, beginning with the legislative elections on May 22.
Barghouti told Al-Monitor, “I received a call from the Israeli intelligence to show up to the Ofer prison, and when I came, the Israeli officer warned me not to run in the upcoming elections and threatened me with imprisonment if I did.”
He said the officer told him, “You are old and sick, but you pose greater risk to us than those who carry weapons because you are not just a leader in Hamas. You are Hamas.”
