RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) – Jailed uprising leader Marwan Barghouti has decided to run for Palestinian Authority president in a Jan. 9 election, seeking to succeed the late Yasser Arafat and throwing Palestinian politics into turmoil, his associates said Thursday.

Barghouti, 45, is challenging interim leader Mahmoud Abbas, 69, a pragmatist who appears to have the tacit support of Israel and the United States.

The candidacy sharpens a power struggle in the ruling Fatah movement, pitting the old guard of politicians that had returned with Arafat from exile against the younger generation of activists who led two uprisings in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Earlier this week, Abbas was nominated as the presidential candidate of Fatah, mainly with the support of the old guard. The young guard, represented in part by Barghouti, is seeking a greater share of the power.

Barghouti informed his associates Thursday, through his lawyers, that he would run.

One Fatah official, Abdel Rahman Shomali, said he would distribute a statement by Barghouti later Thursday. A top Fatah official, Amin Maqboul, also said he was informed of Barghouti’s decision to run.

The uprising leader, who is serving five life terms for his role in attacks on Israelis, has not explained how he would run Palestinian affairs from prison in the event of victory. However, his supporters have said they are counting on international pressure on Israel to free Barghouti.

Both Abbas and Barghouti support the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem.

While Abbas has spoken out against violence and said the current uprising was a mistake, Barghouti has justified attacks on Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank and Gaza as legitimate resistance to occupation.

Also Thursday, Israeli President Moshe Katsav was quoted as saying that Israel should stop building its West Bank separation barrier if Palestinian militants halt attacks.

And Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon faced a new coalition crisis, with a key partner, the secular-rights Shinui Party, threatening to quit. If Shinui bolts, Sharon could be forced into early elections, which in turn would delay or halt his plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank in 2005.