Sowing the Wind

"Sharon you are playing with our Lives" - Israeli protestor holds a poster during a demonstration in Tel Aviv protesting against the assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin

The murder of Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin by Israel was an act of terrorism, and an insane one at that. It has not only opened the gates of hell, as one incensed Hamas official declared, it has also slammed shut the door of peace. 

If for one moment the Israeli leadership imagined that assassinating the Hamas leader would stem the tide of violence, they were deluded. Sheikh Yassin's murder will not diminish suicide killings, it will increase them. Hamas will want to retaliate, as massively as possible, to retain credibility in Palestinian eyes. Other groups too, such as Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and Islamic Jihad, will retaliate, because they want revenge and because they too want to gain credibility and prove that they are the viable, powerful, sole opposition to the Israelis. They will rush to wrap themselves in a bloody martyrs' flag - and young men and women will be readier than ever to lay down their lives as suicide bombers. 

For Israel, the Sheikh may have seemed to be a major part of the problem. But he was also potentially a significant part of the solution. By killing Hamas' spiritual head, the Israelis have struck down someone they might one day have been able to talk to. Their missiles have killed a leader who enjoyed massive respect, who could have called a halt to militant violence, and would have been listened to had he done so. 

Instead, Israel will reap the whirlwind. There is likely to be a struggle for power within Hamas and between Hamas and its rivals. But that struggle will be played out through suicide bombs and counted in the number of dead Israelis. The killing will be anarchic, uncoordinated, but all the more deadly - and it is entirely Sharon's doing. He doubtless hopes that such an overspill of violence will turn Palestinians into targets for George Bush's "war on terror". He is clearly willing to sacrifice Israeli lives for the sake of destabilizing the Palestinian resistance. Either way it is clearer than ever that he is utterly ruthless and will stop at nothing, and no one. Is Arafat next? The gloves are off. Nothing can be ruled out. At this critical time, the Palestinians stand united against Israel; so do the Arabs. But that is not enough. There must be a determination at last to force Israel to halt its murders. It has canceled a meeting with Qorei. It must be forced to the negotiating table, forced into concessions. There is only one state that can do this. The US.

We demand action by Washington to rein in the Israeli murderers, to stop Israeli terror. Is Washington sincere in its commitment to justice, or is it as usual only going to mouth platitudes and do nothing? To quote George Bush, if it is not with us, it is against us.

Source: Arab News