Israel Releases Barghouthi's Son From Jail

Israel has released on bail the jailed son of Palestinian uprising leader Marwan Barghouthi, who is himself serving a life prison sentence.

Qassam Barghouthi was arrested in late 2003 after crossing from Jordan into the occupied West Bank. Israeli security officials accused him of complicity in Palestinian militant attacks, a charge his lawyer denied.

Israel's Prisons Service said Barghouthi was convicted of weapons possession and freed after serving a 34-month term behind bars. But he remains on probation as a military court is still considering other charges against him.

"Bail was posted, and Barghouthi is required to stay in the area of (the main West Bank city of) Ramallah and report to our Binyamin station once a week," Prisons Service spokeswoman Ori Steltzer said.

Barghouthi was not immediately available for comment.

His father, Marwan, is a legislator from the Palestinian faction Fatah serving five life prison terms in Israel for orchestrating attacks by the militant al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Since Fatah was beaten in Palestinian elections last year by the more hardline Islamist Hamas, there has been recurrent speculation in Israel that Marwan Barghouthi could win clemency in a bid by the Jewish state to foster a new partner for peace.