|
Israel Kills Hamas Leader, Casts Doubts Over Peace
 |
|
Qawasmeh's daughter hold his
picture
|
Additional reporting by Awad Al-Rajoub, Samer Khuwayera, IOL Correspondents
OCCUPIED
JERUSALEM, June 22 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – As the
Palestinian government was almost close to convince Hamas and other
resistance factions of hammering out a truce with Israel to breathe
new life into the dormant peace process, Israel threw its spanner in
peace efforts and killed Saturday night, June 21, another high-ranking
Hamas official in a move certain to spark new vicious cycle of
violence.
Abdullah
Qawasmeh, the commander of Hamas' armed wing Ezzudin Al-Qassam
Brigades in Al-Khalil (Hebron), was assassinated in a drive-by
shooting by undercover Israeli squad as he was stepping out of the
mosque after performing his prayers, eyewitnesses told
IslamOnline.net.
Shortly
afterwards, dozens of Israeli soldiers and military vehicles rushed to
the scene and prevented Palestinians from approaching him.
Israel
claimed that Qawasmeh was the mastermind for at least five operations
on Israel, including the June 11 bombing
of a bus in Al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem) that claimed 16 lives.
Qawasmeh
is a father of six children and was frequently detained by Israeli
troops and served time in the jails of the Palestinian Authority.
After the eruption of the second Intifada in September 2000, Israel
launched a sweeping manhunt operation to arrest him.
The
killing appeared to fall in line with Israel's policy of assassinating
cadres of Palestinian resistance groups, which has already resulted in
the deaths of at least 100 Palestinians since the Intifada erupted in
September 2000, according to an Agence France-Presse (AFP) account.
But
it seems as if Israel felt free to employ hardball tactics with Hamas
after the brief visit of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell Friday,
June 20, as he declared Hamas as an enemy
of peace and told Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmmoud Abbas he
should not wait for the Islamic resistance movement
to sign a truce deal before moving ahead with the U.S.-driven
Middle East 'roadmap.'
Meanwhile,
a Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli troops overnight near the
Israeli settlement of Morag in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestinian
security sources said Sunday, June 22.
The
man, whose body was still in the hands of the Israeli forces, was not
identified.
Truce
Was Certain
 |
|
He
was assassinated as he was stepping out of a mosque
|
Emerging
from a meeting with Powell Friday, Abbas told reporters that a truce
deal would be finalized "soon, soon, soon," while
Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath angrily stressed that what
happens to Hamas "is none of Israel's business," AFP said.
"Israel
has one business," he said. "If they respect the roadmap and
stop all violence, they will get Palestinian respect of the roadmap
and a stop to the violence."
Israel
ignited the violence with its botched
assassination attempt on Hamas official Abdul Aziz al-Rantissi on June
10, which jeopardized
hopes for the roadmap.
The
killing of Qawasmeh was certain to incite Hamas to seek revenge and
push Abbas toward a moment of truth as Hamas is now sure to resist any
freeze on attacks against Israel.
On
June 10, U.S. President George W. Bush Bush was "deeply
troubled" by Israel's attempted assassination on Rantissi's
life.
"The
President is deeply troubled by the strike. The President is concerned
the strike will undermine efforts by Palestinian authorities and
others to bring an end to terrorist attacks," White House
spokesman quoted Bush as saying.
"It
does not contribute to the security of Israel," he said in a rare
burst of U.S. criticism at the government of Sharon.
However,
The Washington Post revealed Saturday that the following day of
his criticism, Bush was
dinning at the White House with 100 Jewish leaders, many of them
political donors, and did some damage control, with the 2004
presidential elections knocking the doors.
|
