Big Fish

Marwan Barghouti became a major figure in the Fatah movement two years ago. He was the populist alternative to Arafat's two-faced fawning, and though secular he was certainly not pro-Western. His star had been rising throughout the Intifada, and he probably had as much on-the-ground power as Arafat up till today.

Until today, because he has been captured by Israeli troops and placed under arrest as a militant. Rhetorically, he has supported terror operations only inside the West Bank and Gaza, which is quite a moderate position. However, Israel suspects (probably with good reason) that he has supported attacks across the Green Line, and Hussam Khader predicts that Israel will try to reach Arafat through Barghouti. Whether that's the plan or not, you can count on an outrage within Palestine, especially Ramallah, and torture for Mr. Barghouti, who was a likely heir to Arafat, and may be now in position to be the rallying-cry of his people and perhaps their leader later on.