Ahmed Yassin

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Ahmed Yassin
Yassin, left, is greeted by Yasser Arafat after being released from Israeli prison
Born	1936 Al-Jura
Died	March 22, 2004 Gaza City

Sheikh Ahmed Ismail Yassin (1936–2004 (aged 67–68)) (Arabic: الشيخ أحمد ياسين) was the co-founder, with Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, of Hamas, a militant Palestinian political organization.^[1] Yassin served as the spiritual leader of Hamas, an Islamist Palestinian group that has often been characterized by western states as a terrorist organization.^[2]

Yassin, a paraplegic who was nearly blind, had been confined to a wheelchair since a sporting accident at the age of 12.^[3] He was assassinated by an Israeli helicopter gunship in 2004.^[4] His killing precipitated much criticism of Israel, as many observers abroad suggested that the act would negatively impact the peace process.^[4]

1 Early life
2 Involvement in the Israel-Palestinian conflict
3 Assassination
4 Reaction to assassination
5 Notes and references
6 External links

[edit] Early life

Ahmed Yassin was born in al-Jura, a small village near the town of Majdal (today Ashkelon City) in then British Mandate of Palestine. His date of birth is not known for certain: according to his Palestinian passport, he was born on 1 January 1929, but he claimed to have actually been born in 1938. He and his family moved to Gaza after his village was destroyed in 1948 during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.^[4]

Yassin came to Gaza as a refugee. When he was 12, a sports related injury left him quadriplegic and forced him to use a wheelchair for life.^[4]

Yassin studied at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, following secondary school. Islamist and Pan-Arab movements were strong influences at the University. Yassin joined the Muslim Brotherhood during his studies at Al-Azhar.^[5]

[edit] Involvement in the Israel-Palestinian conflict

Yassin subsequently became involved with a Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. In 1987, during the first intifada, Yassin co-founded Hamas with Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, originally calling it the Palestinian Wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, and becoming its spiritual leader. Hamas is regarded as a terrorist organization by many national governments.^[2]

Yassin became disillusioned with the peace process with the Israelis and was skeptical that it would ever actually lead to peace. He instead supported resistance against Israel. He also asserted that Palestine is an Islamic land "consecrated for future Muslim generations until Judgment Day" and that no Arab leader had the right to give up any part of this territory.^[1]

Yassin did not restrict his remarks to Israelis, but included all Jews stating that "Reconciliation with the Jews is a crime."^[6]

In 1997 Yassin was released from Israeli prison as part of an arrangement with Jordan following a failed assassination attempt of Khaled Mashal conducted by the Israeli Mossad in Jordan. Yassin was released by Israel in exchange for two Mossad agents who had been arrested by Jordanian authorities, on condition that he refrain from calling for suicide bombings against Israel.

Following his release, Yassin resumed his leadership of Hamas. He immediately resumed his calls for attacks on Israel, using tactics including suicide bombings, thus violating the condition of his release. His epigram is his most famous quote: "We chose this road, and will end with martyrdom or victory".^{[citation needed]}

Yassin also sought to maintain excellent relation with the Palestinian authority, believing that a clash between the two would undermine the interests of the Palestinian people.^[1] Yassin, however, was repeatedly placed under house arrest by the Palestinain authority. Each time he was eventually released, often after extended demonstrations by his supporters.^{[citation needed]}

Yassin criticized the outcome of the 2003 Aqaba summit. His group initially declared temporary truce with Israel. However, in July 2003, the truce unravelled after Israeli forces killed two Hamas members in retaliation for the suicide bombing of a Jerusalem bus that left 21 people dead.^[1]

On September 6, 2003, an Israeli Air Force (IAF) F-16 fired several missiles on a building in Gaza City, the Gaza Strip. Yassin was in the building at the time but survived.^[4] Israeli officials later confirmed that Yassin was the target of the attack. His injuries were treated at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

Following the assassination attempt, Yassin told reporters that "Days will prove that the assassination policy will not finish the Hamas. Hamas leaders wish to be martyrs and are not scared of death. Jihad will continue and the resistance will continue until we have victory, or we will be martyrs."^[7]

Yassin further promised that Hamas would teach Israel an "unforgettable lesson" as a result of the assassination attempt.^[8] Yassin made no attempt to guard himself from further attempts on his life or hide his location. Journalists sometimes visited his Gaza address and Yassin maintained a routine daily pattern of activity, including being wheeled every morning to a nearby mosque.

After a woman's suicide bombing at the Erez crossing on January 14, 2004, in which Reem Raiyshi detonated herself, Yassin expressed his satisfaction with the execution of the terrorist attack. When asked about the execution of the attack by a woman, Yassin said, "Hamas views women as the reserve force".

[edit] Assassination

Photograph of Ahmed Yassin taken on March 19, 2004.

Ahmed Yassin was killed in an Israeli attack on March 22, 2004. While he was being wheeled out of an early morning prayer session, an Israeli helicopter gunship fired Hellfire missiles at Yassin and both of his bodyguards. They were killed instantly, along with nine^[4] other bystanders.^[9] Allegedly, more than a dozen people were injured in the operation, including two of Yassin's sons. The operation was a part of an ongoing Israeli action against Hamas-sponsored operations.

Israel said the targeted killing was in response to dozens of suicide attacks by Hamas against Israeli civilians, and meant to thwart further attacks on Yassin's orders. Yassin's supporters, as well as various heads of state, condemned the assassination.

The Israel Defense Forces issued the following statement ^[10] regarding the operation:

"This morning, in a security forces operation in the northern Gaza Strip, the IDF targeted a car carrying the head of the Hamas terror organization, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, and his aides. Yassin, responsible for numerous murderous terror attacks, resulting in the deaths of many civilians, both Israeli and foreign, was killed in the attack."

[edit] Reaction to assassination

The killing provoked widespread condemnation from the international community. Kofi Annan, UN General secretary, strongly condemned the killing and also called on Israel to halt its policy of assassination ^[11]. The UN Commission on Human Rights passed a resolution condemning the killing ^[12] supported by votes from 31 countries including the People's Republic of China, India, Indonesia, Russia, and South Africa with 2 votes against and 18 abstentions. The Arab League council also expressed condemnation, ^[13] as did the African Union. ^[14]

A draft resolution condemning the extrajudicial execution of Yassin and six other Palestinians, as well as all terrorist attacks against civilians^[15] was brought before the United Nations Security Council and vetoed by the United States, with United Kingdom, Germany, and Romania abstaining.^[16] The United States explained that the draft resolution should have condemned Hamas explicitly following its sponsored suicide bombings in Ashdod the week before.^[17]

[edit] Palestinian

The Palestinian Authority declared three days of mourning and closed Palestinian schools. Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh suggested, "This is the moment Sheikh Yassin dreamed about". The Hamas leadership said Ariel Sharon had "opened the gates of hell." Hamas called for retaliation against Israel. About 200,000 people took to the streets of the Gaza Strip for Yassin's funeral as Israeli forces declared a national alert.

Abdel Aziz Rantisi was announced as the new head of Hamas. At a memorial service for Sheik Yassin, he declared that "The Israelis will not know security... We will fight them until the liberation of Palestine, the whole of Palestine."[1] Publicly addressing the "military wing" of Hamas, Rantisi suggested, "The door is open for you to strike all places, all the time and using all means."[2] Rantissi was himself assassinated by Israel on April 17, 2004.

[edit] Israeli

Shaul Mofaz, the Israeli Defense Minister, branded Yassin "the Palestinian bin Laden" and said, "If we have to balance how many more terrorists Yassin would have sent, how many terrorist attacks he would have approved - if we weigh this on the scales, we acted rightly."^{[citation needed]}

Avraham Poraz, Israel's Interior Minister and member of the centrist Shinui Party, said he believed the assassination of Yassin would "foster further hate and more attacks". Shimon Peres, then leader of the Labour opposition, said, "I do not believe that we can eliminate terrorism by assassinating leaders. It was a misguided decision."^{[citation needed]}

An informal survey by the BBC suggested support for the attack from Israelis ^[18].

[edit] Arab

Jordanian King Abd Allah II described Israel's killing as a "crime".^[4]

Lebanon's president Emile Lahud vehemently denounced the Israeli act. "Israel has committed a crime but will not succeed in liquidating the Palestinian cause, for the resistance is going to increase." ^[4]

In Kuwait, Prime Minister Shaikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah said: "Violence will increase now because violence always breeds violence."^[4]

The head of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Muhammad Akif, described Yasin as a "martyr" and his assassination a "cowardly operation."^[4]

[edit] Western

Jack Straw, then British Foreign Secretary, said: "All of us understand Israel's need to protect itself - and it is fully entitled to do that - against the terrorism which affects it, within international law. But it is not entitled to go in for this kind of unlawful killing and we condemn it. It is unacceptable, it is unjustified and it is very unlikely to achieve its objectives."^[19]

In response to a question about the killing on 23 March 2004, U.S. President George W. Bush responded,

As far as the Middle East, it's a troubled region, and the attacks were troubling. There needs to be a focused, concerted effort by all parties to fight terror. Any country has a right to defend itself from terror. Israel has the right to defend herself from terror. And as she does so, I hope she keeps consequences in mind as to how to make sure we stay on the path to peace.[3]

US ambassador to Iraq John Negroponte stated that the USA was "deeply troubled", and characterized Yassin as "the leader of a terrorist organization [...] who preached hatred, and glorified suicide bombings of buses, restaurants, and cafes."[4]