RAISING his cuffed hands triumphantly, Marwan Barghouti, one of the most visible leaders of the Palestinian uprising, was led into an Israeli court August 14 to stand trial on charges that he orchestrated widespread terror attacks that killed scores of Israelis. “The uprising will be victorious,” Barghouti shouted in Hebrew to a packed courtroom before proceedings began. Barghouti, 43, in a dark brown prison uniform, gestured excitedly as he held an impromptu news conference in three languages — Hebrew, Arabic and English — before being dragged away by guards.

　　This is the first major court case against a Palestinian leader in two years. After the Palestinian Authority was established in 1994, Israel stopped arresting and putting senior Palestinian figures on trial. The Palestinian Authority was largely permitted to handle law and order issues in areas under its control, an arrangement that held until the Palestinian uprising broke out. In nearly 23 months of fighting, Israel has arrested several thousand Palestinians suspec-ted of involvement in violence. Israel’s army has also carried out dozens of killings of suspected militants.Barghouti, the West Bank leader of Arafat’s Fatah movement, became the first senior Palestinian leader to face an Israeli civilian court, charged with murder and orchestrating bloody terror attacks against Israelis with Arafat.

　　Born in Ramallah June 6, 1958, Barghouti has been active in the Fatah since the age of 15. He became politically active at Birzeit University where he received a bachelor’s degree in history and political science, and earned a master’s degree in international relations. Barghouti was imprisoned in 1976 in an Israeli jail for his involvement in an Intifada, and was deported from his homeland of Palestine in 1987 to Jordan.Barghouti was one of the largest organizers of the first Intifada against Israel. He was a liaison officer in the PLO’s offices in Amman and Tunis. In 1994 he returned under the Oslo accords. Now he is the second-most popular Palestinian leader, trailing only Arafat in recent polls. As a believer in the peace process in the days of peace-making in the 1990s, Barghouti developed friendships with some Israeli officials, helped persuade Fatah activists to recognize Israel and was a staunch proponent of coexistence. However, after Israeli-Palestinian fighting erupted in September 2000, Barghouti adopted a more militant line, saying Palestinians had the right to drive Israelis out of the West Bank and Gaza Strip by force.

　　Each side planned to turn the case into a trial of the other side’s policies and actions. Israel will try to show that senior Palestinian Authority officials were involved in violence against Israelis while Barghouti’s lawyers said they want to use the trial to draw the world’s attention to Israel’s actions as an occupying power. And Barghouti took advantage of the situation to state his own case. Led into the courtroom, he shouted out his arguments to a room packed with reporters.“The policy of assassinations, curfews, house demolitions, the policy of occupation will not lead to security,’’ Barghouti said. “Peace will be achieved by one way ... by the end of occupation.’’ Barghouti said he is a political leader and is not connected to violence.“I am a peaceful man,” he said. “I was trying to do everything for peace between the two peoples. I believe the best solution is two states for two peoples ... The policy of occupation will not lead to security.” In the early days of the uprising, Barghouti, a member of the Palestinian parliament, delivered fiery speeches during street protests. He maintains he is only a politician, but Israel says he was the key figure in organizing attacks by members of a Fatah-affiliated militia, the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade. He was arrested April 15 during an Israeli military sweep in the West Bank. The Justice Ministry said Barghouti was the “central partner in the decisions made by organizations that in the last two years carried out a series of attacks that claimed the lives of scores of Israeli citizens and wounded hundreds.” Moshe Negbi, an Israeli legal analyst, said the trial is an attempt by Israel to “convince the world that the Palestinian Authority is a terrorist authority.” But he said the trial “will also be a forum for Marwan Barghouti to focus world attention on the occupation, on the plight of the Palestinians.”

　　As the Fatah leader in the West Bank, Barghouti was in regular contact with many young activists. Many Fatah members are also active in the Al Aqsa militia that has claimed responsibility for many bombings and shooting attacks against Israelis. Israeli security officials have said Barghouti was gradually drawn into direct involvement in attacks, first defending them, then funneling money to militants, and finally orchestrating them. Israeli officials have claimed that during questioning, Barghouti acknowledged orchestrating attacks. But Barghouti and his lawyers have denied this, saying he was interrogated incessantly after his arrest. During the first three weeks, Barghouti was interrogated around the clock and allowed to sleep only two hours a night, said Khader Shkirat, another defense attorney. Shkirat said Barghouti slept while sitting on a chair, with his hands tied behind the chair.