AL QUDS: Marwan Barghouthi, a leader of the Palestinian uprising accused of masterminding attacks on Israelis, and on trial in Israel, turned the tables on his jailers by successfully convincing militants to call a truce.

“From his cell, Barghouthi played a crucial role in Palestinian dialogue and contributed a lot in talks on the hudna,” said a senior official from Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s Fatah faction, using the Arabic word for truce.

The ceasefire was announced by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, then by the Fatah faction, after weeks of talks spurred by Barghouthi’s lawyers, who carried his message as far as Damascus.

The success bolstered Barghouthi’s stature among Palestinians, already strong following his public trial, and reinforced his position as a potential successor to Arafat.

Born in 1959 to a West Bank farmer, Barghouthi has denied Israeli charges of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to murder and “activities in a terrorist organisation”.

He was detained in April last year and indicted in an Israeli court in August.

Claiming immunity as a member of the Palestinian parliament, he has refused representation in court, denying the legitimacy of Israeli case against him.

Using Hebrew learned during previous stints in Israeli jails, Barghouthi exploits the extensive media coverage of his trial at every turn, insisting that the uprising will be victorious.

“The man is a genuine, young, promising leader,” said Mahdi Abdul-Hadi, head of the Palestinian think tank Passia. “People like him whether he is on the street, at home or in prison. He is there, he is visible and he proved it.”

Israel was aware of Barghouthi’s truce efforts and decided not to interfere, an Israeli security source said. Leftist lawmaker Yossi Sarid said the decision may have been intentional.

“I raised the possibility that it is a sort of coordination between the Israeli government and Barghouthi in order to empower him and strengthen his position,” Sarid said.

Israeli ministers have declined to discuss Barghouthi’s role in the truce talks. The state calls him a “master terrorist” who headed the Fatah-linked al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and was responsible for the death of 26 Israelis.

Barghouthi joined Fatah at age 15 and earned a master’s degree in international relations at the West Bank’s Bir Zeit University. Following the 1993 Oslo interim peace accords, he actively supported the peace talks with Israel and ran programmes for Israeli and Palestinian youth.—Reuters