Egyptian MPs agreed that Israel took the green light from the US to kill Al-Rantisi. Gamal Essam El-Din reports The People Assembly's reaction to Israel's killing of Hamas's leader Abdul-Aziz Al-Rantisi in Gaza was swift and angry. Just one hour after news of Al-Rantisi's killing spread across the country, the assembly decided to devote Saturday's evening session to condemning Israel's state-sponsored terrorism. Parliament Speaker Fathi Sorour began by declaring that he, in his capacity as speaker of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliament, he will ask this assembly's Security and Politics Committee to hold an extraordinary meeting to debate the repercussions of Al- Rantisi's killing on the peace process in the Middle East. Sorour also issued a statement condemning the unlawful assassination of Palestinian leaders. "The assassination of Al-Rantisi is a clear Israeli message that it rejects peace. It raped the land of Palestine in the recent past and now it is killing its children, women and men," the statement read. Sorour also argued that "those who give the green light to Israel to commit its atrocities and conduct state-sponsored terrorism must know that they will pay the price of this in the form of greater counter-terrorism, fiery feelings of injustice and a destabilised world." A statement by the parliament's Arab Affairs Committee also agreed that the assassinations of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Hamas's spiritual leader, and his successor Al-Rantisi provide fresh evidence that Israel is the world's main sponsor of state terrorism. The committee's statement called upon all peace-loving forces in Europe and America to do their best to put an end to the vicious cycle of violence in the Middle East and bring the two parties -- the Palestinians and the Israelis -- back to the negotiating table. "These forces must know that Israel has crossed all red lines and that its criminal policies lead to plunging the region into a new drama of bloodshed and violence," the committee's statement said. In their angry condemnation of Al-Rantisi's assassination, most MPs said that during his recent visit to America, Israel's hard-line Prime Minister Ariel Sharon took the green light from US President George W Bush to assassinate Al- Rantisi. Fawzi Moaz, an MP belonging to the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), said Bush's endorsement of Sharon's criminal act must be considered something of a new Balfour Declaration. "We have to call it Bush Declaration," he said. Abdel-Salam Moussa, another NDP MP, said it is America's staunch and uncompromising support of Israel, especially by the current Bush administration, that gives the Israelis a free hand to commit their crimes against the Arabs, Islam and humanity. The Arab Affairs Committee's statement said Bush's concessions to Sharon are an American betrayal of Palestine, a shock to all Arabs and a contravention of all United Nations resolutions governing the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Fayza El-Tahnawi, an NDP MP, said Israel's despicable act provides clear evidence that America's stated intentions of democratisation in the Middle East are "quite false". Joining forces with El-Tahnawi, opposition and independent MPs asked for expelling Israel's ambassador to Egypt, scrapping the peace treaty with Israel, and reconsidering relations with the US. MPs belonging to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood took the lead in making these demands. Mohamed Mursi, the Brotherhood's most prominent MP, argued that Egypt's 25-year-old peace treaty with Israel gave the latter a free hand to cross all red lines and wreak havoc in the Arab world. "This is why we have to scrap this peace treaty which Israel tore up a long time ago and opt instead for rallying behind the Palestinian resistance groups. We have to expel the Israeli ambassador from Egypt and re-examine relations with the US, [a country which] stands firmly behind Israel," Mursi said. Mursi cited Bush's recent enthusiastic backing of Israel not to return to its pre-1967 borders and a negation of the Palestinian right of return as two glaring pieces of evidence that Egypt must re-examine its "strategic relations" with the US. Hamdi El-Sayed, an NDP MP and chairman of the Doctors' Syndicate, launched a fiery attack against "the listlessness of Arab rulers". El- Sayed wondered why Egypt does not take the initiative to expel the Israeli ambassador from its land and re-examine relations with America. Khaled Mohieddin, of the leftist Tagammu Party, said "it has now become quite clear to all that Sharon went to Washington to take the green light to pursue his criminal activities." Mohieddin also blasted Bush's "full and complete backing for Israel". Hamdin Sabahi, an independent MP with Nasserist leanings, demanded that the Israeli ambassador be expelled, that the peace treaty with Israel be abandoned, that strategic relations with America be scrapped and that the door be opened for "jihadists" to avenge the assassinations of Al-Rantisi and Yassin. Mohamed Khalil Qiwita, an independent MP, asked that in their next summit, Arab leaders forge a new strategy aimed at standing up to Israeli state terrorism. Abdel-Rahman El-Adawi, an NDP MP and an Al-Azhar religious cleric, blamed the weakness of Arab rulers for the continuation of Sharon's murderous tactics. "The Arabs will face the threat of extinction unless they move quickly to stand up to Israel's criminal aggression against the Palestinian people," Al-Adawi said. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Kamal El-Shazli outlined that President Hosni Mubarak's recent visit to the US was aimed at securing the interests of not only Egypt, but of all Arab countries. El-Shazli said that the whole of Egypt denounces Israel's cowardly act. "All of us -- including the government, opposition and independents -- condemn this cowardly act which is symbolic of state terrorism that has crossed all red lines," El-Shazli said. NDP businessmen also lined up to condemn the killing of Al-Rantisi. Business tycoon and Chairman of Parliament's Housing Committee Mohamed Abul-Enein said Al-Rantisi is an honourable example of the Palestinian struggle and resistance against Israeli occupation of Palestine. Abul-Enein suggested that MPs stand up for a minute of silence in mourning for Al-Rantisi. Sorour said this one-minute silence must also be in honour of all Palestinian martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the liberation of occupied Palestine.
