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Thought some
of you might be interested to read this portrayal of another key figure in the
drama that is Israel and Palestine: Never underestimate the power of one
charismatic individual. - KWC from
the July 03, 2003 edition - http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0703/p01s02-wome.html The 'Palestinian Napoleon' behind
Mideast cease-fire
In jail and on trial for terrorism, Marwan
Barghouti brokered a deal with militants. By Nicole Gaouette | Staff writer of The Christian Science
Monitor JERUSALEM - When the Israeli and Palestinian Authority prime
ministers met Tuesday, they did so with an unprecedented display of bonhomie
and some trusted ministers. But
one man was missing - a man widely credited with engineering the Palestinian
cease-fire that led to the meeting and generated momentum for the US-backed
peace plan under discussion. Marwan Barghouti had a good excuse for missing the carefully
scripted meeting: Since April 2002, he has languished in Israeli jails Branded
a "master terrorist" by Israel, hailed by others as a Palestinian
Napoleon (a nod to his diminutive size and perceived ambition), Mr. Barghouti
is considered a likely successor to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Barghouti's ability to organize a cease-fire from a prison
cell when Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas was failing to do
so is testament to his credibility among Palestinians of all factions. "It is quite extraordinary,"
says Israeli analyst Yossi Alpher.
"This [cease-fire] strengthens his position as a potential
successor, assuming in the course of some prisoner exchange he is
released." On Wednesday, the US signaled its approval of Mr. Abbas's
efforts by announcing $30 million in aid Wednesday. Also Wednesday, Israeli troops pulled out of the West Bank
town of Bethlehem, a condition of the "road map" peace plan under
which Israel must reduce troop presence in the territories to September 2000
levels. Palestinian obligations include maintaining the cease-fire. For some, Barghouti's role in this
cease-fire raises questions as to whether Israel, despite its official
rhetoric, is working to bolster his image in the hope of promoting new
Palestinian leadership. Barghouti
reportedly communicated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders in Syria and
Lebanon via letter and through envoys.
Yossi Sarid, leader of the leftist Israeli political party Meretz,
suggested to the media that "it is a sort of a coordination between the
Israeli government and Barghouti in order to ... strengthen his position." Barghouti's relative youth (he is 44), street credibility,
and reputation for honesty make him second only to Arafat in popularity among
Palestinians. Those qualities, in
addition to his fluent Hebrew and the fact that he is not an Islamist, also
make Barghouti attractive to Israeli officials looking for future
interlocutors. While these traits make Barghouti a threat to the old guard
Palestinian leadership, for now they need him. "This government hasn't any minister who has the
influence in the West Bank that Marwan has," says Hafez Bar ghouti, a
distant relation and editor of Jerusalem's Al Hayat al Jedidah newspaper. "He can deliver." So it is likely that Barghouti's name was high on the list
at the Tuesday meeting, where Abbas made prisoner release a priority. After their public remarks, which were
broadcast live, the two leaders met privately to discuss joint committees to
deal with security, humanitarian aid and other issues. Abbas also asked that Arafat, confined to his Ramallah
compound for over a year now, be allowed to leave. Sharon, who has worked with the US to marginalize the PA
president, said he would consider allowing the aging leader to move to Gaza,
adding, according to the Israeli press, "as long as he stays there." If Arafat is a lion in winter, Barghouti is a clear heir
apparent and has already succeeded Arafat as a symbol of resistance for many
Palestinians. A tiny fireplug of a
man who wields a sharp wit in three languages, he has a politician's instinct
for image and theatre. At the
onset of the intifada, he would position himself for TV interviews so that
Israeli tanks confronting stone-throwing Palestinian boys appeared in the
background. He invited Nelson Mandela to attend his (still ongoing)
trial and has used hearings to announce that Israel, not he, is on trial for
its occupation. "He is
incredibly influential," says Diana Buttu, a legal adviser to the
Palestinian Liberation Organization, who points out that Barghouti grew up
here, unlike Abbas or Arafat.
"He is very charismatic, principled, and clear with Israelis: 'We
don't hate you; we hate your occupation,'" Ms. Buttu adds. Barghouti was born just north of Ramallah to the poor wing
of a prominent West Bank family.
He got off to an early political start, joining Fatah at 15 and becoming
a student leader at Bir Zeit University in the West Bank. His political activism led to jail time. Barghouti reportedly earned his high
school diploma in jail. Subsequent
sentences meant it took him 11 years to earn his university degree in history
and political science. In 1987, when the first Palestinian uprising began, Israel
exiled him to Tunis and from there he went to Jordan, becoming the youngest
ever member of the Fatah revolutionary council in 1989. Barghouti returned to the territories
in 1994 under the Oslo peace process as an enthusiastic supporter of those
negotiations. He soon began
speaking out against Israeli settlement construction and the corruption of
Arafat's government. As the Oslo talks dissolved into violence, Barghouti began
advocating a more militant approach to Israel. "We tried seven years of intifada without negotiations,
then seven years of negotiations without intifada. Perhaps it is time to try both simultaneously," he said
in November 2000. While his preferred means changed, his end didn't: His stated goal has always been
complete Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories. With his arrest in April 2002, he is
charged with financing or instigating 37 attacks which killed 26 Israelis and
hurt dozens. He faces life in
prison. Barghouti's stock among Palestinians has soared even higher
since his arrest, but tellingly, Arafat has been largely silent about him. Indeed, though Barghouti has written
that he expects to lose his life resisting Israel, some observers say he faces
a greater risk from his colleagues. Hafez Barghouti says there are those "inside Fatah who
want him to be killed, not freed, because he's clean, because so many of them
are corrupt." He adds:
"They are afraid of Marwan when he gets out, because he's a popular leader
who is accepted by Hamas, Islamic Jihad... he is a national leader and that
makes them afraid." |
