Editing Marwan Barghouti (section)

=== 2005 and 2006 Palestinian elections and disputes with Fatah ===
[[Yasser Arafat]] died in November 2004, and the Palestinian Authority called a [[2005 Palestinian presidential election|presidential election for January 2005]]. Barghouti announced from his isolation cell that he would contest the election, challenging interim-President Mahmoud Abbas, a long-time [[Fadwa Barghouti|Fadwa]] administrator of Arafat's generation. [[Fadwa Barghouti|Fadwa]] registered her husband's candidacy as an independent on 1 December.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McGreal |first=Chris |date=2004-12-02 |title=Crucial choice on path to statehood |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/dec/02/israel1 |access-date=2025-03-23 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-06 |title=Imprisoned Palestinian Enters Presidential Race - The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/01/international/middleeast/imprisoned-palestinian-enters-presidential-race.html#selection-683.0-683.47 |access-date=2025-03-23 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250306120945/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/01/international/middleeast/imprisoned-palestinian-enters-presidential-race.html#selection-683.0-683.47 |archive-date=2025-03-06}}</ref>

The Israeli government came to know that two of Barghouti's closest confidantes – Fadwa and advisor Qadura Fares – privately opposed Barghouti's decision to stand, and decided to allow the two to meet with Barghouti to press their case, breaking two years in which he had been denied such contact.<ref name=":10" /> His candidacy was also criticised by Fatah leaders as a threat to the movement's unity.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ellingwood |first=Ken |date=2004-12-13 |title=PLO's Barghouti Ends Candidacy for President |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-dec-13-fg-elect13-story.html |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=Maureen Clare |date=2004-12-16 |title="Message received": Hatem Abdel Qader on Barghouti's presidential election withdrawal |url=https://electronicintifada.net/content/message-received-hatem-abdel-qader-barghoutis-presidential-election-withdrawal/5372 |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=The Electronic Intifada |language=en}}</ref> His campaign manager announced Barghouti's decision to withdraw from the race on 12 December. In a letter read at the announcement, Barghouti accused Fatah's leadership of having grown "old, weak and alienated" from the rank and file.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CNN.com - Jailed Barghouti quits Palestinian leadership race - Dec 12, 2004 |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/12/12/Barghouti/index.html |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=CNN}}</ref> In 2016, Fares said that he believed his advice had been a mistake.<ref name=":10" />

Abbas won the election, and there has been no Palestinian presidential election since.

In 2006 Israeli media reported that MK Haim Oron had met with Barghouti in prison dozens of times, and had carried messages back and forth between Barghouti and Prime Minister [[Ehud Olmert]].<ref name=":13" /> Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni also met directly with Barghouti.