Palestinian defiant at murder trial

JERUSALEM -- If there were any doubts that the mass-murder trial of Marwan Barghouti is aimed at multiple audiences, the fiery Palestinian leader dispelled them in no time.

Speaking in Arabic, Hebrew and English, Barghouti Wednesday made his first public appearance in four months and defiantly told prosecutors, and the world, that the Palestinian uprising will live on.

And so began the first trial of a senior Palestinian militant in nearly two years of conflict. As head of Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement in the West Bank, Barghouti acted as the principal field marshal in months of violent and nonviolent confrontations with the Israelis. His popularity is second only to that of Arafat.

Israeli soldiers captured Barghouti on April 15 during an invasion of the West Bank city of Ramallah after a surge in Palestinian suicide bombings. He says that he has been held in solitary confinement for nearly 100 days, subjected to intense interrogation while forced to sit in a cramped position and deprived of sleep.

In court Wednesday, a bearded Barghouti, 43, appeared to have lost a bit of weight but otherwise seemed fit. He raised his handcuffed hands repeatedly, gesturing triumph and spouting out speeches rapid-fire until guards twice dragged him away.

"The intifada will win," Barghouti said in Hebrew, calling out to reporters who crowded into the courtroom. In Arabic, he said: "I'll keep fighting on until I get my freedom. You cannot break the intifada with occupation."

Israel presented a detailed indictment against Barghouti, accusing him of "initiating, planning or financing 37 terrorist attacks" that caused the deaths of "dozens" of Israelis. He is charged with murder, attempted murder, incitement to murder and membership in a terrorist organization. The maximum penalty is life.

Israeli prosecutors accuse Barghouti of directing the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, an armed militia affiliated with Fatah that has killed numerous Israelis in shootings and suicide bombings. Barghouti denies the charges and says he is just a politician.

But for both Israel and the Palestinian leader, the trial in Tel Aviv is much more than a legal proceeding.

Israel, buffeted by criticism from human rights groups for its treatment of Palestinians, is eager to present itself as a nation of laws that can give a just trial even to a man it regards as a terrorist.

"He will get the fairest trial that anyone could dream of," said Israeli Foreign Ministry official Gideon Meir. "This will show that the Israeli legal system is above politics, and everything will be judged on the merits. And if he is convicted, Barghouti can appeal to the Israeli Supreme Court."

"This is a show trial," countered one of Barghouti's attorneys, Jawad Boulos.

Israel also hopes to use the trial to further discredit and delegitimize Arafat, painting him and the entire Palestinian leadership with the same bloodied brush.

Similarly, Barghouti wants to put Israel on trial. Though the court will undoubtedly limit the scope of what Barghouti can place into evidence, he hopes to shift the spotlight to Israel's 35-year-old occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

"We will try to convince the world that the one which has to be brought to trial is the occupation and those who have committed so many crimes" against Palestinians, said Boulos.

Barghouti said he wanted to bring his own "50-count indictment" against Israel "for the bloodshed of both peoples."

The next court date is Sept. 5.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright