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Al-Awda Condemns Murder of Sheikh Ahmad Yassin
22 March 2004 For Immediate Release
Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition strongly condemns the extra-judicial murder of Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, the spiritual leader of The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, known by its acronym as HAMAS. Ten other Palestinian by-standers were killed by the Zionist occupation army.
Sheikh Yassin, a 67-year-old quadriplegic who was partially blind was assassinated while leaving a mosque in Gaza in his wheelchair. It is unclear whether this war crime was committed without the prior knowledge and approval of the Bush administration.
Sheikh Yassin was a refugee from the village of Jourah near Al-Majdal (renamed by Israel Ashkelon). The murder of Yassin by missiles from a US supplied Apache helicopter, like 200 other similar extrajudicial executions carried out by Israel, is strongly condemned by the international community and human rights groups across the globe as violations of international law and as war crimes. This horrific act further shows that Israeli leaders are only interested in perpetuating violence and state-sponsored terrorism to avoid having to address the root cause of the conflict: the ethnic cleansing of Palestine.
We extend our condolences to the Palestinian people, our brothers and sisters in this struggle. We also urge the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah to declare its rejection of any plans or agreements that fall short of ending the Israeli occupation and the recognition of the inalienable right of all Palestinian refugees to return to their original homes and lands.
We call on all people of conscience to condemn this and other atrocious attacks and to demand an end to U.S. governmental military and financial aid and backing for such illegal Zionist war crimes.
Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
http://www.miftah.org |