A Palestinian artist works on a painting of late Sheikh Yassin

By Yazeed Kamaldien, IOL Correspondent

PRETORIA, March 28 (IslamOnline.net) – A week after, demonstrations against the Israeli assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder and spiritual leader of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, continued in different world countries.

Hundreds of South Africans, including non-Muslims, march to the Israeli embassy in Pretoria Sunday, March 28.

"[Israeli Premier Ariel] Sharon, with this missile strike on Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, has declared war and said he is not interested in peace. If an Israeli dies, the blood is on Sharon's hands," said Claire Ceruti, an Anti-Privatization Forum (APF) member.

The 66-year-old wheelchair-bound Sheikh Yassin was assassinated along with eight others in an Israeli missile strike on his way home after performing the dawn prayers.

"People asked me why I am here, because I'm not Muslim. But I'm here because of the facts. What's going on in Israel is apartheid. We fought apartheid in this country and we are not going to tolerate it anywhere in this world," said Ceruti.

The activist was arrested last Sunday by police for allegedly participating in an illegal gathering protesting water privatization in South Africa's poverty-stricken areas.

Na'eem Jeenah, spokesperson of the Palestine Solidarity Committee, said "it's a problem that we have an Israeli embassy in this country".

"Everyone of you is defending that building, and you should be embarrassed. Our country needs to stand up for democracy and shouldn't support Israel," MRN researcher Zakiyah Fareed told police officers surrounding the embassy.

Various other speakers addressed the gathering, championed by the South African advocacy group Media Review Network (MRN), which brought together various organizations.

The march started at Frik Ellof Park in Rosemary road and ended two blocks down at the Israeli embassy in Kings Highway in Pretoria, the political capital of South Africa.

As the march drew to a close a few men burned the Israeli flag while others chanted anti-American slogans.

Acting Israeli ambassador, Daniel Pinhasi, said the demonstration "should concern South Africans".

"As for the assassination of Sheikh Yassin, we are in a state of war. He was described as a Mother Theresa in a wheelchair, but he started a terrorist organization. The war against him was for peace."

Thousands of people across the world took to the streets Friday, March 26, protesting the Israeli assassination of Sheikh Yassin.

The Israeli crime drew an international outcry for being a serious escalation that would entrench the region in more violence.

Sheikh Yassin frequently said  that Hamas was willing to stop its operations if Israel ended its occupation of Palestinian territories and stopped killing Palestinian women, children and other innocent civilians there.