Marwan Barghouti, Fatah-Tanzim, and the Escalation of the Intifada
The twin attacks by Fatah gunmen on a Hadera bat mitzvah celebration last week and on Israeli civilian pedestrians in Jerusalem this week have brought back into focus the military ,wings of the Fatah organization and the responsibility of its leadership, particularly Yasser Arafat and Marwan Barghouti, for these operations. Ironically, West Bank Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti has been touted over the last year in the Western press as one of the possible successors to Yasser Arafat. Perhaps as a way of making his mark with the U.S. administration, Barghouti, in fact, wrote an op-ed piece in the Washington Post on January 16, 2002, presenting himself as a moderate Palestinian leader with limited political aims, who also renounces terrorism and advocates only the Palestinians' right to self-defense:
"And while I, and the Fatah movement to which I belong, strongly oppose attacks and the targeting of civilians inside Israel (emphasis added), our future neighbor, I reserve the right to protect myself, to resist the Israeli occupation of my country and to fight for my freedom."
Yet one day after Barghouti's piece appeared, a member of Fatah's Tanzim militia attacked the bat mitzvah party, killing six civilians and wounding over thirty. Israeli security sources have firmly established that Marwan Barghouti knew of the Hadera bat mitzvah attack in advance, and gave it his blessing (Yediot Ahronot, January 20, 2002). Notably, the Palestinian Authority failed to issue its routine condemnation of the subsequent Fatah attack on Israeli pedestrians in Jerusalem (Ha'aretz, January 24, 2002). The entire episode raises questions about Fatah's emerging strategy in this phase of Yasser Arafat's intifada.
2004
Israel Line
20 May 2004
* Tanzim Leader Barghouti Convicted For Deaths of Five People
* Operation Against Arms Smuggling Tunnels Expands
* New York Times Reporter in Gaza Escapes Abduction Attempt
* Jewish Leaders from More than 40 Countries Meet in Budapest
* Economic & Hi-Tech Briefs
Tanzim Leader Barghouti Convicted For Deaths of Five People
Former West Bank Tanzim commander Marwan Barghouti was convicted by the Tel Aviv District Court today for the deaths of five people, HA'ARETZ reported. The five were murdered in 3 different terror attacks staged by Barghouti. The Tanzim leader was also found guilty of attempted murder, membership in a terror organization and conspiring to commit a crime. However, the court acquitted him of 33 other murders, noting the absence of evidence that he was a full partner in those incidents. The prosecution was seeking today to sentence him to five life terms.
ThecourtruledthatBarghoutiwasdirectlyresponsibleforaJanuary2002terrorattackonagasstationinGivatZeevinwhichIsraeliYoelaChenwasmurdered.Barghoutihadadmittedhisresponsibilityforthisattack.TheattackinwhichaGreekmonkwasmurderedinMa'alehAdumimonJuneof2001wasalsocarriedoutattheinstructionofBarghouti,thejudgessaid.TheformerTanzimleader,thecourtruled,alsoapprovedtheMarch2002attackatTelAviv'sSeafoodMarketrestaurantinwhichthreepeopleweremurdered,aswellasacarbombattackinJerusalem.
ThejudgessaidBarghouti'sordersforterrorattacksweresometimes"basedoninstructions"fromPalestinianAuthorityChairmanYasserArafat."Arafatwouldnevergiveexplicitinstructionsforattacksbutheletitbeknownwhenthetimingwasright,"thejudgessaid.
Meanwhile,terroristsintheGazaStripvowedtodaytokidnapIsraelisoldiersandexchangethemforBarghouti.
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Jerusalem----January16...... ArabterroristsslaughteredtwoIsraeliciviliansinseparateterrorattacksnearJerusalemyesterday.Avraham(Avi)Boaz,71,andYoelaChen,47,willbeburiedtoday.
YoelaChen
Chen,themotheroftwochildren,andheraunt,RahelHeini,70,whowasmoderatelywoundedintheterrorattackwereontheirwaytoafamilyweddinginJerusalem.
TheexecutionstylemurdertookplaceneartheentrancetoGivatZe'ev,northofJerusalem.Thetwowomenstoppedatagasstationwhentwoterroristsapproachedtheirvehicleandopenedfireatshortrange.Accordingtopolice,theterroristsapproachedChen'scarassheturnedtoentertheGivatZe'evgasstationand,afterverifyingthetwowomenwereIsraeli,firedeightorninebulletsatcloserangeandfledtowardEl-JibandRamallah.
Chenwashitintheheadandchestanddiedshortlythereafter.HeiniwaswoundedintheshoulderandhandandtreatedatHadassah-UniversityHospital,EinKerem.
OneofYoela'sbrotherswasdrivingbehindherandwitnessedtheshooting.
Henotifiedhisthreebrothers,whowerealreadyatthewedding.YoelaworkedasasecretaryinWolfsonHospitalinHolon."Shewasawonderfulwoman,shelovedhelping,"saidMosheCohen,brotherofthebride."Shewantedtotakepartinthewedding,andherhusbandstayedhometotakecareofthechildren.Shewaskilledontheway."
YoelaChenwillbeburiedinJerusalem.Sheissurvivedbyherhusbandandtwochildren.
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galmla:
Jan15,2002-YoelaChen,45,ofGivatZe'ev,wasshotandkilledbyPalestinianterroristsnearthegasstationattheentrancetoGivatZe'evshortlybefore20:00.
YoelaChenwaskilledandheraunt,RachelHeini,70,wasmoderatelyinjuredinaTuesdayeveningshootingattackneartheentrancetoGivatZe'ev,northofJerusalem.YoelaandherauntwereontheirwaytoafamilyweddinginJerusalem.Thetwowomenstoppedatagasstationwhengunmenapproachedtheirvehicleandopenedfireatshortrange.
OneofYoela'sbrotherswasdrivingbehindherandwitnessedtheshooting.Henotifiedhisthreebrothers,whowerealreadyatthewedding.
YoelaworkedasasecretaryinWolfsonHospitalinHolon."Shewasawonderfulwoman,shelovedhelping,"saidMosheCohen,brotherofthebride."Shewantedtotakepartinthewedding,andherhusbandstayedhometotakecareofthechildren.Shewaskilledontheway."
YoelaChenwasburiedinJerusalem.Sheissurvivedbyherhusbandandtwochildren.
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