The Sheikh’s comments stand in marked contrast to numerous articles
since his assassination, which call for “earthquake-like revenge”
and claim that it will “force the region into a new cycle of violence
and bloodshed that
(it) has not ever witnessed.”
HamasOnline
also reported the reactions of other resistance movements:
Islamic
Jihad leader Khedr Habib predicted a grave escalation and vowed that the
move would “break the door of conflict and escalation loose”,
whilst “The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
described the assassination of Sheikh Yassin as a “strong boost”
to resistance operations.”
But despite the understandable anger and reaction in the immediate aftermath
of Sheikh Yassin’s killing, there are still seeds of a willingness
to move towards the possibility of preventing an unending cycle of violence.
“Those who wish for peace should recognize the full rights of the
Palestinian people or else not only the Palestinian mothers will be left
to cry (over) their beloved ones,” said a statement “signed
by dozens of Palestinian official and popular figures” in Ramallah.
And
whilst, “Widely known for his uncompromising stance, (new Hamas
leader) Rantissi said it was wrong to call him a hardliner. “We
are all moderates because we only ask for our rights,” he said.
“We want to restore the rights of Palestinians to their land and
holy sites. . . and to live peace in the land from where we were forced
out.”
“Rantissi
dismissed Sharon's evolving plan for pulling troops and settlers out of
the Gaza Strip as no more than a “cover for committing more crimes
against Palestinians.”
“No
one is betting on the peace process now. Is there anyone who thinks the
Zionists will ever abandon Jerusalem. . .or dismantle settlements, release
prisoners or return refugees?”.”
“The
Hamas leader affirmed that the military option was the sole method capable
of bringing security, stability and liberation to the Palestinian people,
describing the political negotiations as the sole method damaging the
Palestine cause and wasting the Palestinian people’s legitimate
rights.”
“He
called on the PNA to boycott the Zionists, saying that the Zionist assassination
of Yassin and the construction of the separation wall in the West Bank
showed peace is impossible.”
And
Mahmoud Asy delivered a statement on behalf of Hamas at a rally in Karawat
Bani Hassan, Nablus district, saying that “Hamas would not be involved
in any peace negotiations or conciliations before rights were returned
to the Palestinian people.”
P10K can obviously at least partially deliver these “rights of Palestinians”
- such as helping with land access and opposing the wall’s construction
- through non-violent direct action on the ground. P10K is a much better
offer than a one-sided US led “peace process” or meaningless
“peace negotiations” around a table. P10K breaks the dichotomy
of EITHER the flawed “peace process” OR “violent resistance”
which is currently on offer, providing a vital 3rd and as yet untried
option - MASS non-violent direct action.
One article on HamasOnline even contains a call from The Malay Youth Movement,
“for dispatching peacekeeping forces to put an end to Zionist attacks
against Palestinians.”
And
the government of Malaysia branded Yassin’s assassination as “state
terrorism,” whilst the, “Organization of Islamic Conference
(OIC) and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), called on the Mideast Quartet
“to ensure peace and security as well as the resumption of the peace
process.”“
“Syria's
President Bashar Al-Assad on Monday strongly denounced the Zionist killing
of Palestinian leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin,” and, “A Syrian
official spokesman said whatever excuses proclaimed by the government
of Sharon, the policy of killing and destruction pursued by it, including
its embodiment of a flagrant violation of the international law, is a
policy that should be denounced by the international community with all
its political and humanitarian bodies and an end should be put to it.”
The
conclusion of the statement “signed by dozens of Palestinian official
and popular figures” in Ramallah said that, “The USA and its
spoilt child’s terrorism will only boost our determination to grab
our rights, regardless of treacherous bombs.”
Further
criticism of the US came from Gaza's Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi,
who was, “not surprised that the United States vetoed a U.N. Security
Council resolution condemning the Zionist assassination.”
And,
“Moussa Abu Marzouk…a senior Hamas official,” reassured
Americans after US warnings to, “Americans in the Middle East and
North Africa of a heightened attack threat”, saying that, “U.S.
targets were not in the sights of the Islamic Resistance Organisation
at present,” and that, “We have never targeted an American
target or American interests, despite its hostility.”
He
also told Reuters that, “Washington was making a mistake by backing
the Zionists against the Palestinians,” and that, “It should
reconsider this choice because it will not be of benefit for it or for
its interests.”
Denying
any link between “Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda” and his group,
Marzouk said that, “the Zionists have propagated the allegation
to link its war against Hamas to Washington's so-called “war on
terror.”
“Hamas
is a liberation and resistance movement...it is obvious that this allegation
is false.”
Hamas
political leader Sayed Seyam said, “It's not in our policy to target
Americans or American interests,” whilst “Rantissi said no
orders had been given for resistance fighters to strike targets beyond
the borders of the Islamic state of Palestine.”
British
Chancellor Gordon Brown also came in for criticism after ordering, “a
freeze on the assets of Hamas resistance leaders including Abdel Aziz
Rantisi,” although spokesman Ismail Haniya, “dismissed Britain's
decision to freeze financial assets belonging to five of the group's leaders,
saying such bank accounts did not exist.”
HamasOnline
draws the conclusion that, “While it is clear that the murder of
Sheikh Achmad Yassin was a terrorist act, and was unlawful, he (the arrogant
Gordon Brown) is not talking about sanctions, freezing of assets and cutting
diplomatic ties with the Zionist terrorists. The obvious reason for this
is because Britain it self is one of the biggest terrorist and terrorist
sponsors!”
HamasOnline
also reported the financial difficulties faced by Hamas following, “the
bans imposed by the PNA on the funds of a number of charity organizations.”
Rantissi
called for, “President Arafat to release the funds of orphans and
the destitute.”
“The
High Court last Sunday ordered Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority to
unfreeze the charitable organisations' assets, which were frozen in August
to comply with a US demand to clamp down on armed groups.”
“Much
of the Islamic Resistance movement's popularity stems from its network
of charitable organisations which provide education and medical services
to tens of thousands of impoverished Palestinians.”
“But
the order has yet to be implemented and the head of one society founded
by Yassin warned Thursday that there will be uproar if the authority does
not soon respect the court's verdict.”
“I
fear an internal explosion of anger here if the Palestinian Authority
does not carry out the court decision,” said Saqer Abu In, the head
of Al-Mujamma al-Islami.
“By
the end of the month, we will be left without a cent and tens of thousands
of people will no longer receive our financial help,” he added,
explaing that, “until the end of February “we had an arrangement
with the PA that they would let us access our accounts if we provided
them with the names of our beneficiaries or recipient organizations.”
“But
he said that a day after the Zionist army raided several banks in the
West Bank town of Ramallah where it stole millions of dollars the authority
rescinded its arrangements with Hamas charities.”
“He
said that with an annual budget of 50 million dollars, Al-Mujamma al-Islami
was providing assistance to 20,000 orphans, 50,000 families, paying the
tuition fees of 10,000 university students as well as providing education
through a network of schools and kindergartens to some 20,000 children.”
“We
target those in need, regardless of their political affiliation,”
he said, adding that in Hamas' schools “pupils receive, of course,
an extra dose of religion and of English as we acknowledge the fact that
English is the world's language.”
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