Yassir Arafat was known for far more violence than Barghouti, but former Isaeli regimes (and several US ones) treated him as a fellow statesman.
.....Israel filed its indictment on 14 August and Barghouti's trial commenced on 5 September. [26] Barghouti was charged with 26 charges of murder and attempted murder stemming from attacks carried out by the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades on Israeli civilians and soldiers. [27] [28] Barghouti refused to present a defense to the charges brought against him, maintaining throughout that the trial was illegal and illegitimate. [29] He stressed that he supported armed resistance to the Israeli occupation, but condemned attacks on civilians inside Israel. According to the case argued by Israel at his trial, he had supported and authorized such attacks. On 20 May 2004, he was convicted of five counts of murder: authorizing and organizing the murder of Georgios Tsibouktzakis (a.k.a. Father Germanos, a Greek Orthodox monk-priest), a shooting adjacent to Giv'at Ze'ev in which a civilian was killed, and the Seafood Market attack in Tel Aviv in which three civilians were killed. In addition, he was convicted of attempted murder for a failed car bomb attack near Malha Mall that exploded prematurely, resulting in the deaths of two suicide bombers, and for membership and activity in a terrorist organization. He was acquitted of 21 counts of murder in 33 other attacks as no proof was brought to link Barghouti directly with the specific decisions of the local leadership of the Tanzim to carry out these particular attacks. [30] Following the verdict, Barghouti shouted in Hebrew, "This is a court of occupation that I do not recognize. A day will come when you will be ashamed of these accusations. I have no more connection to these charges than you, the judges, do." [31] On 6 June 2004, he was sentenced to the maximum possible punishment for his convictions: five cumulative life sentences for the murders and an additional 40 years, consisting of 20 years each for attempted murder and for membership and activity in a terrorist organization. The Israeli verdict against him in effect removed Arafat's only political rival. [32]
Criticism of trial
The Inter-Parliamentary Union found that the "numerous breaches of international law" to which Barghouti was subjected "make it impossible to conclude that Mr. Barghouti was given a fair trial." [6] [33] The criticisms raised by Simon Foreman, the report's author, included the court's failure to...
en.wikipedia.org
The most prominent of the alleged plot victims:
...In 2003, Ismael Hassin Radeida, a 22-year-old member of an armed faction of Fatah, was convicted of shooting and killing Fr Germanos. Radeida told the court he had killed the priest in error, having intended to kill Jews driving along the road. [31]
Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti was convicted of murder in 2004 for having directed the attack. [32] [33] [34] [35] Barghouti had been a popular candidate to lead the Palestinian Authority; however, the position could not be filled effectively from prison and the Israeli authorities had announced that the conviction as well as four other counts of murder for which he had been convicted, precluded his release, stating "The man was sentenced to five life terms for the murder of Israelis... This is not a political issue, but a purely legal one." [36] [37]....
en.wikipedia.org
One would figure a man of ben g'vir's stature would have other things to do than visit lifers in solitary, for whatever reason. Like the CNN piece said, the humiliation was on ben g'vir. |
