Palestinian Leader Marwan Bargouhti
Families
who lost loved ones in terror attacks filed a legal petition on 23 July against
the Palestinian Authority (PA) and former head of the “Organisation” (Tanzim),
Marwan Barghouti. The petition, filed in the Jerusalem District Court, demands
compensation in the sum of NIS
450 million from the PA, Barghouti and seven additional terrorists (Sic., N. of
T.) serving life sentences in Israeli prisons.
Barghouti,
who served as secretary of the Fatah (Palestinian political party) in the West Bank and as a member of the Palestinian Legislature,
was detained by Israeli security officials in Ramallah in April 2002, during
the “Defensive Shield” Israeli military operation. Following interrogation, it
was decided to try Barghouti in civilian and not military court. Barghouti was
convicted of killing five Israelis in four different terror attacks. The court
sentenced him to five life sentences and an additional 40 years in prison.
The 14
petitioners are family members of Ronen Landau and Yoela Chen, who were killed
seven years ago in separate shooting attacks in the Givat Ze'ev region near Jerusalem. The attack at
the petrol station near Givat Zeev, in which Chen was killed, was executed on
the direct order of Barghouti, in retaliation for Israel’s assassination of Raed
Karmi. Barghouti confessed his responsibility for the attack during
interrogation. In his trial, Barghouti was convicted in the murder of Chen and
the court ruled that he activated the cell which killed the two Israelis.
The petition
was filed by attorneys Nitsana Darshan-Leitner and Roi Kochavi from Shurat Hadin
Israeli Law
Center (http://www.israellawcenter.org/),
which provides legal representation to victims of terror attacks in Israel. The
court petition argues that Barghouti personally directed, managed and activated
terrorist actions against Israeli targets with the assistance of senior figures
in the “Organisation”, who were responsible for the actual conduct of the terror
activities.
The
petition further argues that Barghouti led a policy that was set by the
Palestinian Authority and Yasser Arafat even prior to the outbreak of the
second Intifada.
Attorneys
Darshan-Leitner and Kochavi noted this morning they are demanding that the
court set a high and painful price for physical and mental damage to the
residents of Israel.
“Barghouti is a convicted criminal and murderer, and this is how he should be dealt
with. This should be recalled especially now, when we hear voices calling for
the release of this murderer. Making justice for the petitioners means making
justice for all residents of Israel.”
First
published in Ynet on
24 July 2008 and translated from Hebrew to English by the Alternative Information
Center.
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