A jailed Fatah chief has put a major crimp in hopes for a smooth transition of power in the wake of the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Until last week, Mahmoud Abbas--Arafat's longtime P.L.O. deputy who has the backing of the Central Committee of Fatah, the most powerful Palestinian party--seemed likely to roll up a big victory in the Jan. 9 election for Palestinian President. But last week Marwan Barghouti, who is serving five life sentences in an Israeli prison for his part in deadly shooting attacks early in the four-year intifadeh, announced his candidacy for the job too. Barghouti,...
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