Palestinian leader charged in Israeli attacks

Marwan Barghouti, the West Bank chief of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, appeared defiant Wednesday in an Israeli court in Tel Aviv.

TEL AVIV, Israel (CNN) -- Israel indicted a defiant Palestinian political leader Wednesday on charges of orchestrating attacks that killed dozens of Israelis and wounded hundreds more.

Before entering a civilian court in Tel Aviv, Marwan Barghouti said in Arabic, Hebrew and English that he was a man of peace and that "the intifada will win."

"All the world knows that Marwan Barghouti is fighting for peace, and I believe in the solution of two states for two peoples," Barghouti said, raising his handcuffed hands above his head.

"The conflict is being fought for peace, and only peace will bring security for Israelis. ... You are paying a heavy price for your government's actions."

Barghouti, 43, the West Bank chief of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah Movement, was formally charged during Wednesday's brief court proceedings with murder, attempted murder and involvement in a terrorist organization. Barghouti, who has been in Israeli custody since he was arrested April 15, is charged on 52 counts.

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Prosecutor Dvora Chen said Barghouti is "responsible for the murder of hundreds of Israeli citizens and soldiers."

The judge said the trial would resume September 5.

The Israeli charge sheet alleged that Barghouti was a central part of the decisions made by organizations in the last two years to carry out deadly attacks against Israelis.

Barghouti maintains his innocence. He has said he considers himself a politician and a leader of the Al Aqsa Intifada, but he denies any involvement in the killing of Israelis.

After the summary of charges, Barghouti interjected in Hebrew that he had a 50-paragraph indictment against Israel he wanted to read, which charged Israeli with bloodshed against both Palestinians and Israelis. The judge refused, saying it was not a political trial.

Barghouti's attorney, Jawad Boulus, said he did not recognize the jurisdiction of the Israeli court, saying it was not legal under the Oslo accords because his client is an elected member of the Palestinian Legislative Council.

"Marwan is an elected deputy from Area A," Boulus said, referring to the portion of the West Bank under Palestinian civil and security control. "He's a political prisoner."

Boulus is expected to submit his objection to Israel's jurisdiction in writing before September 5, and it will be the first item on the agenda.

Barghouti has been considered one of the most prominent grass-roots Palestinian politicians and has been mentioned as a possible successor to Arafat.

He has been an outspoken supporter of the recent uprising, which began in September 2000. He backs a two-state solution and has called for the end of the occupation of land that Israel captured in the 1967 Six Day War.

Barghouti has led the Friday mass protests against the Israeli occupation, which gained him popularity on the Palestinian streets.

In the past, Barghouti, who learned Hebrew in Israeli prisons, has appeared on Israeli television.

He was once a strong supporter of the Oslo peace process, developing ties with Israeli politicians and peace activists. But Israel has increasingly regarded him as radical since the outbreak of the current intifada.

Israeli attitudes toward Barghouti took a significant turn in April when the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the militant offshoot of the Fatah movement that has carried out numerous terror attacks, said in a statement that he was its leader.

The U.S. State Department has designated Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade as a terrorist organization.

-- CNN Correspondent Jerrold Kessel contributed to this report