The assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin by Israel on Monday has generated unprecedented anger and grief among Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims in the Middle East. Khaled Amayreh reports from the West Bank Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, spiritual leader to many Palestinians, was martyred Monday, his body badly mutilated, when an Israeli Apache helicopter fired three missiles at the 68-year-old wheelchair-bound Palestinian cleric as he was leaving his neighborhood mosque in central Gaza shortly after dawn prayer. Palestinian resistance groups are promising that the murder of the Palestinian religious leader will not pass without an appropriate response proportionate to the status and stature of Yassin. At least eight other people were killed and an additional 15 injured, including Yassin's two sons. TV cameras from around the world showed images of Yassin's mutilated body, including his blown-apart head and decimated wheelchair. As soon as Yassin's assassination became known early Monday, tens of thousands of Palestinians took to the streets throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip, demanding revenge. The outpouring of emotion accompanying Yassin's subsequent funeral in Gaza underscored the popularity of a leader who, while a prominent figure of resistance, was always careful to preserve Palestinian national unity. This care earned him the respect not only of the Palestinian populace at large but also the followers and leaders of secular Palestinian groups. "We are all Hamas now," said one Fatah leader, underscoring Palestinian national unity in the face of Israel's efforts to murder Palestinian leaders. Hamas itself vowed to deliver an unprecedented response to the murder of its founder and spiritual leader. "Sheikh Yassin was not an ordinary person, hence, our response to his murder will not be an ordinary response," said a masked member of Hamas' military wing, the Izzeddin Al-Qassam Brigades, as tens of thousands shouted "we want revenge, we want revenge." Hamas chief spokesman in Gaza, Dr Abdel-Aziz Al-Rantisi, declared "it is now an open war with the Zionist Jews." The war, he said, would reach every Israeli home. Likewise, the military wings of Fatah and Islamic Jihad vowed to carry out "thunderous operations" in the heart of Israel. For its part, the Palestinian Authority (PA) strongly condemned the killing of Yassin. "This is a nefarious crime aimed at sabotaging peace efforts," said Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, who also declared three days of mourning throughout the erstwhile autonomous enclaves, ordering Palestinian flags to be flown at half mast. PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei accused Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of seeking to "spread chaos and turbulence all over the area by carrying out reckless atrocities every few days". These words and the barrage of international criticism of the assassination seemed to have no bearing on Sharon who congratulated his army for carrying out the murder professionally. Sharon also boasted that he personally oversaw the assassination that he called a turnaround in the "war against terror". Sharon's Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz went a step further, promising to continue "liquidating" the leaders of Palestinian leaders. Hours earlier, Mofaz's deputy, Zeev Boim, declared that it was now Arafat's turn, because "Arafat is far more dangerous than Yassin." Similar remarks have been made by Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon, quoted as saying "Arafat and Nasrallah know that their turn is coming." Some Israeli commentators, like Gush Shalom's president Uri Avnery, criticised the assassination. Avnery accused Sharon of dragging Israel into a religious conflict with Islam by carrying out this "act of stupidity". "This is the beginning of a new chapter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It moves the conflict from the level of solvable national conflict to the level of religious conflict, which by its very nature is insoluble," he said. However, Avnery represents a tiny minority within Israeli public opinion, which has been drifting menacingly to the right for the past few years. The assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin has undoubtedly pushed most Palestinians to the edge, believing Israel has now gone too far. The murder is also likely to weaken moderate Palestinians and boost the popularity and strength of Hamas and other resistance groups. It is very likely that Hamas will now be able to recruit hundreds, if not thousands, of young men, who have been inspired by Yassin's glorious martyrdom. Hence, it is quite possible that the killing of Yassin may eventually prove a blessing in disguise for Hamas, especially at a strategic level. The massive demonstrations throughout the Arab world protesting Yassin's assassination seem to have surprised even Hamas's leaders. The movement will undoubtedly seek to utilise that massive support and sympathy in one way or the other in the hope of translating it into tangible results. The assassination of Yassin is also likely to serve as a setback to the so-called American war on terror, prompting millions of angry Arabs and Muslims to conclude that Osama Bin Laden may have been right after all. Al-Qa'eda has already vowed to retaliate for the assassination of Yassin by attacking American targets. If so, Al-Qa'eda will gain the hearts, if not the minds, of enemies of the US throughout the Muslim world. See: Focus: Ahmed Yassin
