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Rantissi killing hurts peace process

DUBAI - The assassination of Hamas leader Abdel-Aziz Al Rantissi on Saturday is yet another new criminal attack committed by the Israelis.

It is the begining of the outcome of the US-Israeli plan in the Palestinian territories and a US-led plot targeting the Palestinian people, according to Hamas representative in Lebanon, Sheikh Usama Hamdan.

In an exclusive interview on the phone with KhaleejTimes, Sheikh Hamdan said: "This is to assure that the peace process the Arabs were betting on has fallen. The only choice is resistance. They have killed Rantissi and they are threatening to kill Khaled Mishaal the head of the political bureau of Hamas, this proves that they seek no peace."

Rantissi was one of the important figures in Hamas. He succeeded the spiritual leader of the group Sheikh Ahmed Yassin after his assassination last month and vowed to give Israel tough time.

The assassination of Rantissi occurred shortly after the meeting between the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the US President George Bush. It is highly thought that the US administration gave the green light for the Israelis to continue the policy of assassinations to what they call `terrorism'.

One of the Arab news channels announced that the assassination policy was mentioned in the third article of the assurances Mr Bush gave to Sharon saying: "Israel has the right to defend itself and decapitate the infrastructure of terrorism."

"It is the time to cooperate with the Palestinian Authority and the resistance movements in Palestine to capture the collaborators with the enemy," commented Sheikh Hamdan, making an implication of the existence of traitors among the Palestinians who are leading Israel to their targets.

Amr Moussa, Arab League Secretary-General, speculated after the postponement of the Arab summit in Tunisia will have dangerous consequences, as it will allow the Israelis to carry out more assassinations of Palestinian leaders including the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.

Sheikh Hamdan said: "I would like to say that the threats will never frighten us, we are taking our cautions and we will never surrender to their will. If they kill me it would be a blessing to be a martyr."

Following the breaking news on the assassination of Rantissi, many angry Palestinians and Arabs hit the streets on Saturday and on Sunday in the Palestinian territories, Egypt and Lebanon expressing their anger and hatred and condemning the Arab policy towards the US and Israel.

The criminal act, widely condemned by the international community, had also provoked the prisoners of the Majdo Prison in Palestine who exploded in riots forcing the Israeli police to use tear gas and sound grenades to control the situation.