gelatik
12.05.02, 13:51
GAZA STRIP, May – Leader and founder of Palestinian resistance group, Hamas,
demanded Israel to stop assassinating Palestinian civilians, promising a tit-
for-tat action on the group’s side.
In an interview with Qatar-based al-Jazeera Satellite Television Friday, May
10, Shaik Ahmed Yassin stressed the right of Palestinians to resist the Israeli
occupation, noting, however, that Hamas does not want to attack civilians or
hurt them.
“We did stop our martyr operations (bomb attacks) inside Israel for a long
time, during which Israeli crimes of assassinations and destructions were never
stopped,” Yassin charged.
Hamas leader pointed out that his group, along with other Palestinian
resistance factions, reject political detentions carried out by the Palestinian
Authority (PA) against Palestinian resistance activists.
“Such detentions have no justification whatsoever. The PA is responsible for
the lives of the detainees.”
Yassin called upon the PA to release all detainees without even questioning
them. “Israeli forces can attack security centers, abduct or even kill them.
This happened in Nablus and could happen again,” added Yassin.
“Such detention will not stop (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon from
sweeping Palestinian territories. He (Sharon) needs no reasons for his crimes.
Hamas leader regretted dubbing Palestinian resistance operations as ‘terrorist
crimes’, wondering how a defender of his homeland and freedom be described as
a ‘terrorist’ while Israel’s Prime Minister’s actions are not even condemned.
In a symposium, organized by the Islamic University in Gaza Tuesday, April 23,
2002, Yassin called for ‘rationalizing’ bomb attacks as a deterring weapon, not
to harm the Palestinian cause on the international level. He also stressed the
Palestinian resistance, in all its forms, against the Israeli army and
settlements.
Yassin, repeatedly, made clear that the Palestinians are not against ‘Jews’,
but they are against those ‘occupying our land’.
“We have no problems with Jews or even the Israelis for any other reason than
occupation. If those occupying our land belong to our very own clan, they will
still be our enemies and we will still resist them for sure,” Yassin said.
