Hamas Founder - leader killed (57 views)
From:  David (DavidABrown)    Mar-22 9:43 am  
To:  ALL    
 
  842.1  
 
March 22, 2004 
Jerusalem (www.jnewswire.com) - Six months after trying and failing to kill Hamas founder and "spiritual leader" Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Israel succeeded early Monday in blasting into eternity the man who has made the goal of his life the destruction of the Jewish state. 

The precise targeting - which also killed two of Yassin's sons and several of his bodyguards - took place hours after Israel warned it would be militarily downgrading Hamas' terrorist capabilities in the run-up to a planned Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. 

Other Hamas leaders are believed to be running scared, but have issued defiant threats, saying they will unleash hell on Israelis and kill hundreds of Jews, including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, in revenge. 

Israeli security forces have been placed on high alert across the country, have sealed off "Palestinian" population centers, and have divided the Gaza Strip into three separate zones. 

The Arafat Authority has condemned the killing of Yassin, calling him "a moderate" who helped keep Hamas "under control," and declaring three days of mourning throughout "the territories." 

World leaders have begun to express their condemnation of the killing, with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw - whose own nation tried last year to assassinate Iraqi head of state Saddam Hussein in a "decapitation" attack - saying what Israel had done was "unlawful, unacceptable [and] unjustified." 

What exactly, one observer in Israel wondered, would a "lawful" reaction by Israel be? 

Those who live by the sword 

Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder and so called spiritual leader of the Hamas terror group responsible for bombing to death hundreds of Israelis, was himself blown to smithereens by an Israeli missile as he left a Gaza City mosque Monday morning. 

Fox News reported that all that was left of the blind, wheelchair-bound Muslim killer was his head. 

Seven fellow terrorists, among them two of Yassin's sons, were also killed by the three missiles fired at the entourage by an IAF helicopter gunship shortly after 5 AM. 

Where a week earlier newspapers had shown pictures of Ashdod streets red with the blood of 10 Jews killed by terrorists from Gaza, today's press is filled with images of Yassin's mangled wheelchair lying in pools of Arab blood. 

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesmen said that in killing Yassin Israel had "eliminated the biggest threat to peace and stability on the region," by getting rid of a "heinous murderer" who "was personally responsible for the deaths of hundreds and hundreds of Israelis. 

"Justice has been done." 

Today's successful elimination of the Hamas leader followed a failed attempt last September, when an IAF warplane dropped a bomb on a house in which Yassin was sitting, lightly wounding him in the hand. 

Downgrading Hamas 

Monday's missile strike came less than 24 hours after Israeli Minister of Defense Sha'ul Mofaz stated that Israel was preparing to wage a systematic war against Hamas - the terror group with the largest following in the Strip. 

Six "Palestinians" were killed in IDF anti-terror action in the southern Gaza Strip Sunday. 

"The defense establishment deems it important to weaken this organization, which is a strategic enemy of Israel, especially as we approach disengagement from the Gaza Strip," Mofaz said, according to The Jerusalem Post. 

Israel saw Hamas as "a strategic enemy" and would use targeted killings as well as moves against the group's "supportive infrastructure" and its financial support base, Mofaz said. 

He added that Israel would exert ongoing pressure on Hamas and Arafat's Fatah Tanzim to try and counter the wave of terrorism that has claimed nearly 1,000 Israeli lives in the last three-and-a-half years. 

An Israeli security official said last week the Tanzim and Arafat's other militias were responsible for most of the terrorism against Israelis. 

Eyes to the north 

Mofaz also said that the Lebanese terror group Hizballah was increasingly supporting these "Palestinian" terror groups. 

Some observers believe Hizballah may launch an attack on the north of Israel in a show of solidarity with the "Palestinians" following Yassin's death. 

'Earthquake of revenge' 

In a furious reaction to the killing of Yassin, Hamas spokesmen declared that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who personally directed the operation from his ranch in the Negev, according to media reports, had "opened the gates of hell." 

Hamas and Arafat's Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades said they would unleash an "earthquake of revenge" against Israel, and warned that every home in the Jewish state was now a potential target of the terrorists. 

"We have opened a war" against Israel, vowed senior Hamas spokesman Abdel Aziz Rantisi, while the Brigades issued a statement declaring "war, war, war on the sons of Zion. An eye for an eye. There will be a response within hours, Allah willing." 

Predictable international response 

United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Jack Straw set the tone for the world's response to Israel's act of self-defense when he strongly condemned the assassination. 

Speaking in Brussels, where the EU was preparing to discuss last week's Muslim mass-murder of Spanish civilians in Madrid, Straw labeled the Israeli action as "unlawful, unacceptable [and] unjustified." 

Straw made his remarks a year almost to the day after his own government and the United States attempted to assassinate Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in what they termed a "decapitation attack." 

France lined up with England, slamming Israel for an act is said was "a setback for the Middle East peace process." Russia issued a statement along similar lines. 

And in his response, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak cancelled a planned trip of some of his countrymen to Israel. 

At press time, the US had yet to issue a formal reaction, though commentators predicted a muted condemnation from the Bush Administration. 

A US Treasury document dated August 2003 called Hamas "a terrorist organization that has intentionally killed hundreds of innocent civilians and continues to kill and maim with the aim of terrorizing a civilian population." 

The document noted that Yassin "maintains a direct line of communication with other Hamas leaders on coordination of Hamas' military activities and openly admits that there is no distinguishing the political and military wings of Hamas." 

The media spin 

Journalists traditionally hostile to Israel had difficulty hiding their personal feelings of anger at Israel as they covered the assassination on international networks like Sky, CNN and the BBC. 

Most reporters appeared to regard the action as unwise with some wondering why Israel chose to do it at this time. 

Sky's correspondent in Gaza, Emma Hurd, "predicted" that the killing would lead to more violence against Israelis, inferring Israel would be to blame for acts of terrorism carried out after today.

 



David A. Brown
Basic Christian: Forum
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From:  David (DavidABrown)    Mar-23 7:51 am  
To:  ALL   (2 of 18)  
 
  842.2 in reply to 842.1  
 
JNW EDITORIAL
Dangerous hypocrisy
By Ryan Jones

Jerusalem - March 23, 2004

Israelis will never again be subjected to the shrill ranting of Hamas' founding father declaring the fire and brimstone destruction Islam sees as the Jewish state's ultimate destiny.

Justice has been served. Ahmed Yassin, a man with the blood of hundreds of innocents on his hands, is dead. 

But not everybody is happy about Israel's elimination of this mass murderer. 

The nations of Europe lined up to individually - and corporately as the EU - condemn Israel for the "extra-judicial" killing. 

They raved about Israel's violation of "international law," and expressed their "heartfelt" concern that Yassin's demise would only spur further violence.

This display of duplicitous arrogance can be dismissed when it comes to much of Europe. But one of Israel's biggest critics was British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, whose government's hypocrisy when it comes to Yassin cannot be ignored.

Nor can Washington's muted condemnation.

Not one year ago, Britain and the US launched a full-scale war against Iraq. Their first action in that war was the self-termed "decapitation attack" - which aimed to bring about the war's swift conclusion by killing Saddam Hussein and his senior regime buddies.

And yet, a clearly irritated Straw saw Israel's killing of Yassin as "unlawful, unacceptable [and] unjustified."

Why are Britain and America allowed to assassinate a recognized head of state who poses a distant threat to their nations' assets, but Israel is not permitted to eliminate a known terrorist leader who advocates the mass slaughter of Jewish men, women and children from Israel's own backyard?

Why is it "clear that the free world, those who love freedom and peace, must deal harshly with Hamas and the killers"* when US President George W. Bush is looking to create a tough sound bite, but, in the words of the White House spokesman, "troubling" when Israel finally takes action?

When the US finally captures or kills Osama bin Laden, will Washington for even one second entertain liberal criticism that by doing so the Bush Administration had exacerbated the situation? Of course not.

By denying Israel the same justice they seek for their own citizens, the leaders of these two "Christian" nations are playing a dangerous game with God.


Come near, you nations, and listen; pay attention, you peoples!  The Lord is angry with all nations; His wrath is upon all their armies. He will totally destroy them, He will give them over to slaughter For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion's cause.
Isaiah 34:1-2, 8


It may not happen today, and it may not happen tomorrow, but the God of Israel will not suffer the nations of the world to touch the "apple of His eye." 

His year of retribution is coming, and a hundred 9/11's will not compare to it.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jerusalem Newswire is the only independent Jerusalem-based, Christian-operated news service providing daily coverage and commentary on events in and relating to Israel. 
We encourage you to forward Jerusalem Newswire reports and editorials to friends and fellow believers, that they too may benefit from this free service offering a unique, biblically-based source of news and information direct from the heart of the Jewish state. 

For more news, commentary and analyis, visit Jerusalem Newswire. 




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 From:  David (DavidABrown)    Mar-23 11:55 am  
To:  ALL    
 
    
 
Mar. 23, 2004 19:32  | Updated Mar. 23, 2004 21:12
Rantisi to lead Hamas in Gaza Strip; Meshaal overall leader
By MARGOT DUDKEVITCH AND AP


Abdel Aziz Rantisi, a hardliner who rejects all compromise with Israel, on Tuesday was chosen as the new Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip following the assassination of the group's founder by Israel. 

Rantisi said he emerged from secret elections as the overall chief of Hamas and was chosen to head the group's political bureau, the main decision-making body. 

Khaled Mashaal, Hamas's politburo chief living in exile in the Arab world, was named overall leader, succeeding Yassin, group's wheelchair-bound founder. 

Israeli security sources believe Meshaal is now mostly based in Syria. Israel sent a cell of Mossad agents on a bungled mission to kill Mashal in 1997. The mission ended in disaster leaving Mashaal alive and the agents in Jordanian custody, drove a stake through Jordanian-Israeli relations, and ended in the release of Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin from an Israeli prison. 

The announcement of Rantisi's election was made over loudspeaker during a gathering of tens of thousands of Hamas supporters at a soccer stadium in Gaza City, a day after Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin was assassinated by Israel. 

"After the assassination of the hero, the martyr Ahmed Yassin, a secret election was held ... in which Dr. Abdel Aziz Rantisi was chosen as the new leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement," a senior Hamas official, Ismail Hanieh, told the crowd. 

Rantisi told The Associated Press that Hamas would press for more attacks against Israel. "We will be unified in the trenches of resistance," Rantisi said. "We will not surrender, we will never surrender to Israeli terror." 

Rantisi, speaking at a memorial for Yassin in Gaza, was quoted by agencies as saying, "We will fight them everywhere. We will hit them everywhere. We will chase them everywhere. We will teach them lessons in confrontation." 

Hamas supporters responded chanting, "We will sacrifice our blood and souls for you". 

Rantisi spent seven years in Israeli prisons and was expelled to Lebanon for one year in 1992. He was jailed by the Palestinian Authority for 21 months in the late 1990s. Rantisi escaped an Israeli assassination attempt last June. 

Meanwhile, Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin appealed to Arab leaders to do all they could to help oppose Israel and US forces occupying Iraq in a letter written shortly before he was killed by an Israeli missile, Reuters reported Tuesday. 

Yassin's message, obtained by Reuters, was addressed to the upcoming Arab League summit in Tunis. Hamas officials said it would still be sent. 

"Palestine is an Arab and a Muslim land that was occupied by force of arms by the Zionist Jews and it will not be returned except through force of arms," Yassin wrote. 

"We urge you to stop all sorts of normalization with this enemy, to close down its embassies, its consulates, its commercial offices." 

Yassin also urged Arab countries to give whatever help they could to Iraqis "until they are liberated from the American occupation."
"Helping Iraq and its people is a help to the Palestinian cause and to the Palestinian people," he said. 

Israel will continue targeted killings 

Israel will continue its efforts to target leaders of terror organizations, including Fatah, Islamic Jihad and Hamas, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz told reporters on Tuesday morning during a briefing. 

Asked if Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat is on the list of terror leaders, Mofaz smiled and answered, "You should ask him (Arafat)." 

"If we will continue, in a determined way, with our strikes against Hamas and other terror groups, with the means I outlined, including action against those leaders, we will bring more security to Israeli citizens," he said. 

Mofaz and Israeli security chiefs met for five hours late Monday and decided to step up targeted attacks, security sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity. They said officials decided to go after the entire Hamas leadership without waiting for another attack by the terrorist group. 

The Defense Minister said that despite growing threats by various Palestinian organizations on the lives of Israeli leaders, he is not worried for his personal safety. 

Mofaz justified the assassination of Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmad Yassin Monday morning, calling Yassin "the Palestinian bin Laden." He said that all terror organizations are working towards executing terror attacks against Israeli targets in the near future. 

Polls: Israeli majority supports Yassin killing 

Two opinion polls published Tuesday found a majority of Israelis support the assassination of Yassin. 

Sixty percent of people polled by Yediot Aharonot said they backed Monday's assassination against the Hamas leader, while 32 percent said it was wrong. 

A Maariv poll showed 61 percent of respondents said they supported the assassination and 21 percent said they were opposed. 

Country braces for Yassin reprisals 

Security forces are bracing for an expected wave of attacks, after Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, 68, and seven others were killed in an IAF missile attack in Gaza City Monday morning. 

A high state of alert was instituted. Roadblocks were set up on Tuesday morning by security forces in the entrances to cities and along main roads, resulting in heavy traffic in the Tel Aviv area. 

Hamas and Fatah's Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades warned that a harsh response would be forthcoming.
"[Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon has opened the gates of hell and nothing will stop us from cutting off his head," one Hamas official said. 

"They try to assassinate the dignity of our nation and the rights of the Palestinian people," Hamas spokesman Abdel Aziz Rantissi said. "Now I say to the murderers and terrorists: The war is open, there will be more revenge." 

The IDF immediately imposed a general closure on the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as news of Yassin's death triggered violence and protests throughout the territories and inside the Green Line. For several hours a blockade also went into effect, dividing the Gaza Strip into three sections to prevent Palestinians travelling between the north and south. 

In the afternoon, the blockade was lifted but the closure remains in effect.

 



David A. Brown
Basic Christian: Forum
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From:  carla5010   Mar-25 9:25 am  
To:  David (DavidABrown)    (4 of 18)  
 
  842.4 in reply to 842.1  
 
So now the revenge killings start. Truly sad that the peace prospect is now put even further back. 
  
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  From:  David (DavidABrown)    Mar-25 10:33 am  
To:  carla5010   (5 of 18)  
 
  842.5 in reply to 842.4  
 
What Peace process?

 

The Muslims require the inhalation of the Jews, where do you see a Peace Process or a Prospect for peace in that?

 

God Bless you,
David



David A. Brown
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  From:  carla5010   Mar-25 5:40 pm  
To:  David (DavidABrown)    (6 of 18)  
 
  842.6 in reply to 842.5  
 
<<<<The Muslims require the inhalation of the Jews, where do you see a Peace Process or a Prospect for peace in that?>>>> 
Nonsense. Nowhere is that "required."
 
  
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  From:  David (DavidABrown)    Mar-25 6:18 pm  
To:  carla5010   (7 of 18)  
 
  842.7 in reply to 842.6  
 
Only in their textbooks, maps, slogans, teachings and chants.

 

Guess you are uniformed.

 

God Bless you,
David



David A. Brown
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  From:  carla5010   Mar-25 9:27 pm  
To:  David (DavidABrown)    (8 of 18)  
 
  842.8 in reply to 842.7  
 
No. Rather, it seems that you are misinformed. You make sweeping generalizations that have little to do with reality. That certainly qualifies as misinformed. 
  
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  From:  David (DavidABrown)    Mar-25 10:18 pm  
To:  carla5010   (9 of 18)  
 
  842.9 in reply to 842.8  
 
You cant put forth any indication that the Palestinians have any plan or intentions of a peaceful relationship with Israel.

 

God Bless you,
David



David A. Brown
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  From:  carla5010   Mar-26 5:59 am  
To:  David (DavidABrown)    (10 of 18)  
 
  842.10 in reply to 842.9  
 
<<<<You cant put forth any indication that the Palestinians have any plan or intentions of a peaceful relationship with Israel.>>>> 
Their president has asked the Israeli to stop the attacks and enter into peace negotiations. THAT certainly is an indication.
 
  
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  From:  David (DavidABrown)    Mar-26 7:54 am  
To:  carla5010   (11 of 18)  
 
  842.11 in reply to 842.10  
 
Who is their president?

God Bless you,
David



David A. Brown
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  From:  carla5010   Mar-27 8:02 am  
To:  David (DavidABrown)    (12 of 18)  
 
  842.12 in reply to 842.11  
 
Oops. My mistake. It is the Palestinian Prime Minister I was talking about: 
http://www.eu2004.ie/templates/news.asp?sNavlocator=66&list_id=229 
  
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  From:  David (DavidABrown)    Mar-27 8:03 am  
To:  ALL   (13 of 18)  
 
  842.13 in reply to 842.1  
 
Most Americans Say Israel Was Justified in Killing Hamas Leader, Poll Says
By Melanie Hunter
CNSNews.com Deputy Managing Editor
March 25, 2004

(www.CNSNews.com) - A new survey says most Americans feel Israel was justified in assassinating Hamas leader Sheik Yassin.

The poll, conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, between March 22-23, showed 66 percent of Americans knew about Israel's targeted killing of Yassin within 24 hours of the attack, and by March 23\super rd\nosupersub , 69 percent of Americans had heard something about it. 

Those who knew were very supportive of Israel's actions, with 61 percent of respondents saying Israel was justified in killing Yassin, the leader of the terrorist organization Hamas. 

Most of those surveyed (74 percent) also rejected the statement: "Even though Sheik Yassin headed the Hamas terror organization, as a Moslem spiritual leader who was partially blind and wheelchair bound, Sheik Yassin should have had immunity from attack by the Israelis." 

"This poll clearly shows that Americans understand that while the photos of Hamas terrorist leader Yassin showed a smiling and bearded old man, this guy was not Santa Clause on parade. He did not bring tows to children - he brought death, said Laszlo Mizrahi, founder and president of The Israel Project, in a statement. 

"Despite the image his PR team put forward, the Hamas leader didn't make dreams come true - he ended them. He didn't put toys under trees for children who were good - he gave cash and prize to parents who encouraged their children to join a cult of death by becoming homicide bombers. Yassin was to Israel what Bin Laden is to America," he said.

"Israel wants peace and is willing to make painful sacrifices for peace. It made peace with Egypt and Jordan. But peace means that Israelis need to be able to live in security - free of terrorist attacks on buses, in discos, pizza parlors and markets," said Mizrahi. 

 



David A. Brown
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  From:  David (DavidABrown)    Mar-29 8:50 am  
To:  ALL   (14 of 18)  
 
  842.14 in reply to 842.1  
 
JNW Editorial www.Jnewswire.com
Terrorizing the terrorists
By Ryan Jones 
Jerusalem - March 28, 2004 

"The policy of escalation and confrontation adopted by the Israeli government is of great danger and an evidence of Israel's state terrorism, which led to the killing of unarmed civilians," read a statement from the Gulf Cooperation Council following Israel's execution of Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin. 

For once I have to agree with the decadent oil sheikhs of the Gulf - Israel last week did utilize terror and, as far as I am concerned, it was about time. 

While Israel needs to destroy the terrorist organizations currently arrayed against it, the only way to finally end future aspirations of murdering Israelis is to effectively terrorize fanatics bent on killing in Allah's name into giving up their murderous ambitions. 

Israel should terrorize the terrorists. 

Until last week, one did not have much to fear from being the leader of a known and recognized "Palestinian" terrorist organization. Then the sheikh was vaporized, and the rules of the game were changed. 

Now, characters such as Hamas' Abdel Aziz Rantisi and even Yasser Arafat himself are squirming, wondering if their current line of work will result in an IAF helicopter pilot putting out their lights. 

If Yassin's execution turns out to be a one-off operation, however, the effect will be lost. Israel should seize the opportunity and open a new chapter in its war on terror, adopting a policy of ruthlessness to match that of the terrorists. 

True, your average "suicide" bomber may already have a penchant for death, leaving him or her undeterred by Israel's war on terror. But your average bomber needs the Yassins, Rantisis and Arafats to guide, supply and train him. 

By launching a brutal and determined execution campaign against the terrorist leadership, undaunted by world opinion, Israel can go a long way towards diminishing the scourge of "Palestinian" terror. 

But world opinion is exactly the problem. Judging by the level of international indignation following Yassin's demise, and Israel's traditional bowing to outside pressure, the "Palestinian" terror chiefs are safe for the time being. 

That is where our support, as Christian Zionists, comes in. Israel will feel far freer to pursue and destroy its enemies if tens of millions of Bible-believing Christians demand that their governments stop tying Israel's hands. 

I can hear some of the reactions already - "But we are called to be peacemakers, we cannot advocate war and killing." 

Keep in mind that throughout the Bible, war was always an integral part of bringing peace. Those who believe all that changed with Jesus should remember that the world will experience its biggest ever bloodbath when Messiah comes to set up His kingdom on earth. (See Isaiah 63:1; Revelation 14:19) 

The 17th century Dutch Jewish philosopher Baruch Spinoza offers wisdom Christians would do well to consider: 

"Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice." 

It is to see justice for the victims of terror, for this virtue of peace, and our desire to see the children of Israel living free from fear that causes us to support a war against the self-declared enemies of God's chosen. 

One day the world, under the direct kingship of the Lord, will live in complete and total peace. Until then, it is surely the wish of all right-thinking men that their children will enjoy a modicum of security and tranquility. As history has repeatedly shown, that kind of peace can only be found on the other side of war. 

Declared Aristotle: "We make war that we may live in peace." 




David A. Brown
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  From:  David (DavidABrown)    Mar-29 11:44 pm  
To:  ALL   (15 of 18)  
 
  842.15 in reply to 842.14  
 
Source: www.JPost.com

Khaled Abu Toameh Mar. 28, 2004 



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Former Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) has dismissed the widely accepted notion that it was Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's lack of gestures that forced him to resign, hinting that PA Chairman Yasser Arafat and his inner circle had "thwarted" his mission. 

Abbas, who resigned last year following a fierce power struggle with Arafat, described his experience as "painful and bitter" and said he would never consider taking the job again.

He was speaking to local journalists in Ramallah for the first time since he quit. "I have no intention of repeating this experience," he said in response to a question whether he would be prepared to accept the post of prime minister again. 

"This is not on my mind and I'm not thinking about it at all. It was an experience that I don't want to repeat because it was bitter and painful. I have talked about Sharon's role in aborting this experience, but, unfortunately, it was our brothers who thwarted this mission. Therefore it would not be right for me to return." 

Abbas said he would not rescind his decision to resign from the Fatah Central Committee and suspend his membership in the PLO Executive until the two bodies endorse large-scale reforms. "I didn't resign from Fatah, but only from its Central Council because it has failed to bring about change," he explained. "And I didn't resign from the PLO Executive Committee, but I'm boycotting its meetings because it's paralyzed and it's not doing anything." 

Abbas lashed out at the PA for failing to enforce law and order and called for implementing security, administrative, and financial reforms in all PA institutions. 

"The PA must prove its existence, and there's nothing that prevents it from doing so," he said. "There are certain things it must do, first and foremost the unification of all the security forces under one command. We accepted the road map [which calls for security reforms in the PA] and we must implement it so that we can demand our rights. 

"The PA must carry out its obligations regardless of whether or not Israel and the US acknowledge this. I know very well that there is a problem and it's the Israeli occupation, but when the PA proves its capabilities it will then put the occupation in the corner, embarrass it, and force it to leave the territories." 

The former PA prime minister said the best way to revamp the security forces would be by placing them under the command of one person. He criticized the National Security Council, which is headed by Arafat, and whose job is to oversee the work of the security forces. 

"This council has 15 members, and it's not clear what their responsibilities are," he argued. "If the establishment of this council was a right move, why hasn't it achieved anything until now? The security forces need a head and everyone agrees that he should be subordinate to President Arafat." 

Referring to Sharon's plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, Abbas said: "If Sharon wants to leave the Gaza Strip, he should do so on condition that it is not part of a deal that gives him parts of the West Bank. The negotiations between Israel and the US in this regard remind us of the Balfour Declaration. Who gave the US the right to negotiate on behalf of the Palestinians? These negotiations, which are aimed at winning American backing for the annexation of West Bank land, are a very serious matter and an indication of our weakness." Abbas expressed his support for the inclusion of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the PA, saying he believes in dialogue with the two groups. "I believe they should join the PA," he said. "But if they refuse to do so for ideological reasons, then they should become part of the political opposition, just as there is an opposition in Israel. If the Israelis withdraw from the Gaza Strip and municipal elections take place there, there is no reason why Hamas and Islamic Jihad should not participate as an opposition.

 



David A. Brown
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  From:  David (DavidABrown)    Apr-1 1:31 pm  
To:  ALL   (16 of 18)  
 
  842.16 in reply to 842.15  
 
Last Update: 01/04/2004 06:09 
 
PA general has been pocketing pay of 7,000 fictitious troopers   
 
By Arnon Regular, www.Haaretz.com Correspondent 

An examination of the payrolls of the Palestinian Authority's National Security force, considered the largest of the Palestinian security forces, commanded by General Haj Ismail Jabber, has revealed that salaries for 7,000 fictitious troopers were being paid into his pocket every month. 
 
The salaries for police at the lower ranks range from $300-400 a month, which means that some $2 million a month from PA funds was being paid to the general.

For the past eight months donor countries have been demanding the PA stop the practice of handing over the cash payrolls of the security services to the commanders of each of the separate forces, for them to hand out as pay to their subordinates.

The donor countries, including the European Union and other countries have been demanding PA Finance Minister Salam Fayyad cease the practice, and indeed, during the government of Mahmoud Abbas, troops from parts of the Preventive Security force, the police and civil defense units were paid through direct payments into their bank accounts. According to Abbas, some 22 percent of the Palestinian police were paid that way during his term.

But over the same period Haj Imsail, backed by Yasser Arafat, refused to provide a list of his troops, which led to clashes with Fayyad, including attacks on the PA's treasury offices in Gaza.

Stepped-up pressure on Fayyad by donor countries to come up with the full payroll lists, combined with a PA budget deficit in the hundreds of millions of dollars that makes the PA desperate for the donations, led a few days ago to the transfer to the PA treasury of a diskette with the full list of names of people receiving salaries from Haj Ismail. And there, it turned out that while Haj Ismail was claiming salaries for 37,000 people, there were only 30,000 on the list.

In addition, it turned out that Haj Ismail was receiving the salaries for his troops according to the exchange rate used in Israel, around NIS 4.5 to the dollar, while he paid his troops according to NIS 3.7 to the dollar, a rate used by the PA. That gap meant another half a million dollars a month went into his pocket. On Thursday, for the first time, the National Security forces will be paid their March salaries through their bank accounts instead of in cash. And Haj Ismail's secret extra salary will cease flowing to him.




David A. Brown
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  From:  David (DavidABrown)     Apr-19 12:57 am  
To:  ALL   (17 of 18)  
 
  842.17 in reply to 842.1  
 
JNW News
Israel nails new Hamas leader Rantisi
By Jerusalem Newswire Editorial Staff 
April 18, 2004 

Jerusalem (www.jnewswire.com) - As the Hamas terror organization struggled to unleash it's promised "earthquake" response to the March 22 killing of its founder, Ahmed Yassin, Israel Saturday evening eliminated its new Gaza-based leader, Abdel Aziz Rantisi. 

Less than an hour after IAF helicopter gun ships fired missiles into his car, Rantisi was pronounced dead at Gaza City's Shifa Hospital following failed life saving efforts. 

His driver and a bodyguard were also killed in the pinpoint strike. 

Israel executed the blood-soaked Yassin less than one month ago as the venerated terror chief left a Gaza mosque. 

At the time, Rantisi vowed to "open the gates of hell" in response. 

But on Saturday, those gates opened for him. 

Tens of thousands of "Palestinians" took to the streets of Gaza City Sunday for Rantisi's funeral, calling for revenge against Israel. 

Surgical precision 

The hit on Rantisi occurred not far from his home in Gaza City's Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, as several Israeli helicopters fired what witnesses said were a number of missiles into his car. 

The longtime terror chief - a trained pediatrician - sustained critical wounds in the attack. His driver and one bodyguard were killed instantly. 

Rantisi's wife was also reportedly in the vehicle, but her condition and whereabouts are unknown. Ten other people were wounded in the strike. 

Following the attack, Rantisi was rushed to Gaza City's Shifa Hospital where he was taken immediately into emergency surgery. Five minutes later he was pronounced dead. 

Short stint at the top 

Rantisi took over Hamas' Gaza power base less than a month ago, after his mentor, Yassin, was incinerated by an IAF missile as he rolled out of a Gaza mosque in his wheelchair. 

Even prior to Yassin's demise, Rantisi had been Hamas' most recognizable face, acting as its venomous spokesman following every bloody attack the group carried out against Israeli Jews. 

He vowed to "open the gates of hell" upon Israel in retaliation for Yassin's execution. 

The promised revenge never came, and Rantisi spent the past three weeks bellowing words of hatred at Israel and the US. 

"America declared war against Allah. Sharon declared war against Allah and Allah declared war against America, Bush and Sharon. ... The war of Allah continues against them, and I can see the victory coming up from the land of Palestine by the hand of Hamas," Rantisi said at a university gathering in Gaza last month. 

Who's next? 

Israeli security chiefs hailed the assassination as a severe blow to Hamas, especially coming so closely on the heels of Yassin's execution. 

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Sunday Israel would continue to hunt down the dealers of "Palestinian" terror wherever they may hide. 

Hamas' Damascus-based politburo chief Khaled Mashaal is widely expected to be next on Israel's hit list. 

Likud Minister Gideon Ezra told reporters Sunday it was only a matter of waiting for the right moment before Mashaal would be sent to rejoin his comrades. 

At Mashaal's command, Hamas named a new local Gaza commander shortly after Rantisi's death Saturday night, but refused to disclose his name. 

Abdel Aziz Rantisi 

Abdel Aziz Rantisi was one of the original six founding members of Hamas - a group dedicated to the total annihilation of the Jewish state. 

He remained fanatically devoted to Hamas' ultimate goal of "liberating" all of "Palestine," and constantly justified bloody terror attacks against Israeli civilians, while referring to the Jews as the "sons of monkeys and pigs." 

In 1992, five years after helping to establish Hamas, Rantisi was deported to Lebanon along with 416 other Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists. 

He was allowed to return to Israel in 1993 as part of the Oslo "peace" agreements. He was immediately jailed by Israel, and remained incarcerated until 1997. 

In that year, Rantisi and Yassin returned to Gaza and reestablished the Hamas leadership. 

Rantisi was arrested by the Palestinian Authority several times for criticizing Yasser Arafat and his handling of the land-for-peace process with Israel. 

While he and Arafat remained bitter foes, the PLO chief never fulfilled his peace agreement obligation to bring Rantisi and others like him to final justice. 

Following Yassin's death last month, Rantisi vied with Mashaal for overall control of Hamas, but in the end appeared to settle for taking over the group's Gaza operations. 




David A. Brown
Basic Christian: Forum
www.BasicChristian.org

 
  
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   From:  David (DavidABrown)     Apr-20 1:25 pm  
To:  ALL   (18 of 18)  
 
  842.18 in reply to 842.1  
 
JNW News
Dead man walking - new Hamas leader outed
By Jerusalem Newswire Editorial Staff 
April 20, 2004 

Jerusalem (jnewswire.com) - Hamas sources have revealed the terror group's new leader - and by so doing probably placed him fair and square in the crosshairs of an IAF gunship pilot. 

Quoted by World Tribune.com, the sources said the overall Hamas leader, Damascus-based Khaled Mashaal, picked Dr. Mahmoud A-Zahar to succeed Abdel Aziz Rantisi as the group's Gaza chief. 

Rantisi was liquidated by Israel last Saturday evening, less than one month after taking over the reins from Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin, who on March 22 was vaporized in a pinpoint missile strike in Gaza City. 

Following Yassin's demise, the government of Ariel Sharon said it had decided to eliminate the entire Hamas leadership. Officials in Washington responded by saying the Bush administration would like to see Hamas "put out of business." 

Mashaal tried to keep Zahar's promotion a secret, fearing another Israeli assassination, which the once pompous terror group seems powerless to prevent. 

Dead man walking 

Most "Palestinians" assumed Dr. Mahmoud A-Zahar - a trained physician - had taken over Hamas' Gaza operations following the execution of Rantisi. 

That assumption appeared to be validated by Hamas sources cited by World Tribune.com and the Middle East Newsline on Monday. 

The Damascus-based Mashaal, who remains the group's overall leader, reportedly handpicked the 53-year-old Zahar for the unenviable position. 

Mashaal ordered Hamas not to announce the promotion of Zahar, fearing he would quickly shoot to the top of Israel's hit list. 

For the past month, Zahar, the last remaining founding member of Hamas, served as Rantisi's deputy. 

He, like Yassin before him, has been described as a "moderate" due to his willingness to temporarily stop murdering Israeli Jews when it suited him. 

'Put Hamas out of business' 

While expressing concern that Israel would itself take military action against the likes of Hamas, officials in Washington Monday said they would like to see the group "put out of business." 

But State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said that job should be left to the Palestinian Authority, which under the terms of its various signed agreements with Israel is obligated to dismantle terror groups like Hamas. 

The muted criticism from Washington is unlikely to curb Israel's efforts to fully decapitate Hamas, much as US forces attempted to do to Saddam Hussein's regime at the start of the second Gulf War. 

Other Hamas leaders seen as prime targets in Israel's war on "Palestinian" terror are group spokesman Ismail Haniyeh and terror mastermind Mohammed Deif. 

Deif was seriously wounded in an IDF attempt on his life last year. 

Likud Minister Gideon Ezra earlier in the week said Israel would also take out Mashaal as soon as the opportunity to do so presented itself.

 



David A. Brown
Basic Christian: Forum
www.BasicChristian.org

 
  
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