In rare court appearance, Marwan Barghouti calls for a peace deal based on 1967 lines
Former Fatah leader who was convicted of five counts of murder during the second intifada is seen as the only contender who can beat Hamas and become the next Palestinian President.
By Avi Issacharoff
Former Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti appeared in Jerusalem's Magistrate Court on Wednesday to testify in the lawsuit filed by the family of Esther Kleiman, a resident of Neveh Tsuf who was killed in a gunfire attack in 2002 northwest of Ramallah.
Barghouti, who is likely to become the next Palestinian President, was convicted by the Israeli justice system of five counts of murder – four Israelis and a Greek monk - during the second intifada. There is no question he supported and encouraged violence.
Barghouti is considered a senior Tanzim member (Fatah's armed wing) and was in close contact with members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades through his assistant and nephew, Ahmad Barghouti (a French national).
Yet Barghouti's involvement in past terror attacks does not change the fact that in light of the political developments on the Palestinian side – the possible reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah and especially the lack of contenders against President Mahmoud Abbas – Barghouti remains the only Fatah member who could inherit Abbas' place when the time comes.
in full: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/in-rare-court-appearance-marwan-barghouti-calls-for-a-peace-deal-based-on-1967-lines-1.409329
= new reply since forum marked as read
"Former Fatah leader who was convicted of five counts of murder during the second intifada is seen as the only contender who can beat Hamas and become the next Palestinian President. "
When someone has blood on their hands, its okay, so lang as they'll serve the needs of the powers...
rather than a military trial
As the Second Intifada raged, Barghouti became increasingly popular as a leader of the Fatah armed branch, the Tanzim, seen as one of the major forces fighting against the Israeli Defense Forces. Barghouti led marches to Israeli checkpoints, where riots broke out against Israeli soldiers and spurred on Palestinians in speeches at funerals and demonstrations, condoning the use of force to expel Israel from the West Bank and Gaza Strip.[1] He has stated that, "I, and the Fatah movement to which I belong, strongly oppose attacks and the targeting of civilians inside Israel, our future neighbor, I reserve the right to protect myself, to resist the Israeli occupation of my country and to fight for my freedom" and has said, "I still seek peaceful coexistence between the equal and independent countries of Israel and Palestine based on full withdrawal from Palestinian territories occupied in 1967.".[12] However, during the second intifada Barghouti was accused by Israel of being a senior member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, an organization which conducted numerous attacks and suicide bombings on civilians both within and outside of Israel proper, and has been accused of having directed some of these bombings personally.[4]
[edit] Arrest and trial
Barghouti's actions during the Intifada landed him on Israel's most-wanted list, and he escaped an arrest attempt in 2001. However, he was arrested by the Israeli Army in Ramallah, on April 15, 2002 and transferred to the 'Russian Compound' police station in Jerusalem.
Amos Harel wrote in Haaretz that Barghouti was arrested by soldiers of the Duchifat Battalion who had approached the building hidden in an ambulance to avoid detection: “The Duchifat soldiers were squeezed into a protected ambulance in order to arrive as quickly as possible at the house where Barghouti was hiding, and to seal it off. "[13]
Several months later, he was indicted in civilian court on charges of murder and attempted murder stemming from attacks carried out by the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades on Israeli soldiers.[14][15]
Marwan Barghouti refused to present a defense to the charges brought against him, maintaining throughout that the trial was illegal and illegitimate. However, he continued to stress that he supported armed resistance to the Israeli occupation, but condemned attacks on civilians inside Israel. Nonetheless, the evidence Israel presented at his trial stated that he supported and directed such attacks.[16][not in citation given] On May 20, 2004, he was convicted of 5 counts of murder – including authorizing and organizing the Sea Food Market attack in Tel Aviv in which 3 civilians inside Israel were killed. He was acquitted of 21 counts of murder in 33 other attacks for "lack of sufficient evidence." On June 6, 2004, he was sentenced to five life sentences for the five murders and 40 years imprisonment for the attempted murder.
This page was last modified on 20 January 2012 at 14:20.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marwan_Barghouti
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now if you wish to discus leaders with blood on their hands there are a couple of former Israeli PM's................
welcome to DU
