Media: Hamas eyes power grab in Palestinian authority, taps Barghouti for leadership

Hamas is reportedly developing a strategic plan to seize power in the Palestinian Authority (PA) following the end of Mahmoud Abbas’s leadership.

According to the Israeli broadcaster Kan, which cited a Palestinian source involved in negotiations, Hamas is focusing on Marwan Barghouti as a key figure in this plan, Caliber.Az reports.

Barghouti, a senior leader and field commander of the Fatah movement and head of the Tanzim organization, is currently imprisoned in Israel. He was sentenced to five life terms for his role in deadly attacks that killed five people, as well as an additional 40 years for attempted murder.

The Palestinian source claimed that Hamas has made contact with the families of Barghouti and another high-profile detainee, Ahmad Sa’adat. The militant group has reportedly pledged to secure their release in the second phase of a prisoner exchange deal, in a bid to gain the loyalty of two potential future PA leaders.

Sa’adat, the former leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), was responsible for orchestrating the assassination of former Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze’evi. In 2008, he was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

By Aghakazim Guliyev