Israel: Hamas Today, Arafat Tomorrow
Arafat and Yassin:
roadblocks to peace, paths to terrorism
By
Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency
Jerusalem----March
23......It was not a happy day in Israel yesterday. When Israelis defend
themselves and kill their sworn enemies, we do not dance in the streets
or hand out candies in the fashion of Palestinians after Israeli civilians
have been murdered. Israel has each and every right to defend herself
from those who openly advocate and embrace terrorism as a means to destroying
the Jewish nation.
No, it was not a happy day, but we all feel a bit more secure for our
children.
Ahmed Yassin, dressed in his virgin white robes, with a long white beard, smiling in his wheelchair may have looked like a warm and friendly Santa Claus. But as Jennifer Laszlo, a Washington-based media consultant, put it: "he was not handing out candy canes, he was handing out death."
Yassin was responsible for rewakening the concept of militant Jihad (holy war) and glorifying Islamic terror suicide bombers to Palestinian children. Yassin was no moderate. Moderates do not plan and implement the blowing up of Israeli civilian buses and restaurants. Moderates do not export Jihad terrorist activity to Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Syria.
Over 970 Israelis have been murdered as a result of Yassin's preaching of death. And Yassin was not a "spirtual leader." Ahmed Yassin was a military commander and a terrorist in every sense of those words. He provided fine details to his followers as to how to murder Israeli teenagers at Tel Aviv's Dolpharnarian nightclub, elderly Jews who were blown to shreds as they celebrated Passover dinner at the Park Hotel in Netanya and the countless buses and Israeli restaurants which were ripped apart - explosives spewing ball bearings, metal shards and nails through the bodies of innocent men, woman and children.
A moderate
does not state that Israel has no right to exist. Yassin, the founder
of Hamas, repeatedly educated his Islamic public that Palestine had
always been Arab land. This is somewhat of a paradox given that Islam
is some 1,372 years old compared to ancient Israel which was created
by the Jews over 5,000 years ago.
And when people come to Yassin's defense stating that he just wanted
the "occupation" to end - Yassin's version of occupation transcended
Rahmallah, Nablus and Jenin, it included Tel Aviv, Hadera, Afula, Kiryat
Shomona, Haifa, Ramat Gan and Eilat!
Let's
look a bit closer at Yassin, the founder of the Hamas terror organization,
at both his history and at his own words.
Yassin was imprisoned in Israel twice. In 1984 and 1989. In 1989, Yassin
was sentenced for life, on account of involvement in the murder of IDF
soldiers, Avi Sasport and Ilan Sadon, and possession of weapons. Once
released from prison in 1997, as part of an agreement signed between
Israel and Jordan (after the targeting attempt on Haled Mashal), Yassin
became involved in Hamas terrorist activities. His involvement included
the direction of terrorist operations and tunneling of funds to terrorist
activity. In 1998, Yassin campaigned throughout Arab countries to raise
millions of dollars worth of financial aid to help Hamas carry out terrorist
operations.
Yassin was a central Hamas authority for terrorist decision and policy making. Yassin personally authorized suicide attacks, terror bombing attacks and Qassam missile attacks against the State of Israel.
During his public appearances, Yassin repeatedly called to continue the "armed struggle" and to carry out terrorist attacks. Yassin used to emphasize the importance of kidnapping Israelis for purpose of negotiation and release of Palestinian terrorists.
Was Yassin a moderate? Was this man a spiritual leader? Or was Yassin the bin-Laden of Hamas, a butcher who viewed all Jews and Christians as "infidels", epitomizing the very essence of evil. A dark force who openly threatened the United States and was famous for repeating: "terror attacks are religiously legitimate, those who fight for Allah kill and get killed and receive 72 virgins for their actions."
Israel wants peace. But this tiny democracy, which lives and breathes in one of the most hostile environments on earth, must first confront a bigger evil than Yassin. Yassar Arafat. Arafat, who was born in Egypt, somehow became a Palestinian. He also attempted to overthrow the Jordanian government in 1971 and was expelled from Jordan to Lebanon in what is known as "Black September." Arafat was one of the best public relations men who ever roamed the Middle-East, calling for "Peace of the Brave" in English while asking young Palestinian children in Arabic to become "shieds" (martyrs) to place suicide belts around their 8-year-old bodies and march to Jerusalem. Arafat, who walked away from the Camp David Peace Accords out of cowardice of being assassinated by his own Fatah terror group, chose a war of terrorism against Israel.
Just yesterday, Israel's army chief, Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon, was asked whether, after Israel's killing of Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin, Arafat and Nasrallah would be next. "I think that their (Arafat's and Nasrallah's) responses yesterday show that they understand that it is nearing them," Yaalon said. "In the long term, I hope that this will be a sign to all those who choose to hurt us that this will be their end,'' Yaalon said.
Why Arafat?
Yassir Arafat has compiled a record of atrocities which would be the envy of past war criminals. If one compiles a list in date order from the PLO's inception in 1964, specifying all those attacks which were ordered by Arafat. From the blowing-up of planes, through thousands of terrorist attacks, ordering the execution of American Ambassador to Sudan, Cleo Noél, charges des affaires George Moore and the Belgium aid, Guy Eid in Khartoum.
And let's not forget Lebanon. During the 12 year Civil War in Lebanon, caused by Yassir Arafat's assuming power through terror, his terrorists committed mass murder. Whole villages of Christians like Damour were massacred, chopped into pieces with machetes. Out of the 30,000 Christians, 10,000 were slaughtered by Arafat's PLO. The town was then occupied and kept as Arafat's stronghold. David Shipler of the New York Times wrote the story of Damour June 21, 1982. There were individual murders. One horrific, but typical, example is when the Muktar (leader) of a village refused to be cooperative with Arafat and his terrorists. The Muktar's teenage daughter was abducted and raped. Her breasts were cut off and she was delivered to the doorstep of her father in a sack.
In any hospital controlled by Arafat's terrorists, captured Christians became live blood banks for wounded Palestinians. Israeli soldiers who captured these hospitals found bodies drained of all their blood and stacked, like cordwood, in the hallways.
As of late September 2003, according to the head of Israeli military intelligence, Maj.-Gen. Zeevi-Farkash, Arafat orders for terrorist attacks were actually coming directly from Arafat's headquarters.
As early as 1997, Arafat authorized Hamas and Islamic Jihad attacks; he formed an umbrella group together with these Islamists organizations called the "Nationalist and Islamic Forces" that coordinated attacks against Israel, during the recent intifada, under the leadership of Fatah.
Arafat finances suicide bombings; he has paid operatives, while his office has funded explosive materials, manufactured locally or imported from abroad, like in the case of Iran.
Arafat
actually commands the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which has taken a leading
role in shooting incidents and bombing attacks against Israeli civilians.
As the mastermind of the second Palestinian intifada of September 2000,
according to Palestinian sources, his influence over the scope and timing
of the violence is extensive and even decisive.
Yesterday was not a happy day for Israelis. But the hour that Arafat stops breathing will be a joyous one for both Israelis and Palestinians alike. Arafat's documented terrorism has murdered countless Israelis and created enormous suffering for the Palestinian people. Arafat, who transfers millions of dollars in EU aid money to his wife Suha in Paris, operates the Oasis Casino in Jericho. Millions of dollars have poured into that casino, but not one penny was ever given to the Palestinian children who live in squalor across the street.
Once Arafat is removed, a brave, intelligent and caring Palestinian with the backing of every true and free democracy will come to lead the Palestinian people. He will first establish his authority by confronting those Palestinian elements - Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah and Fatah - who wish to destroy Israel rather than to live in peace. This Palestinian leader will immediatly recover the EU and American aid monies from Arafat's Swiss and French bank accounts and dispense these funds to schools and hospitals. He will embrace trade with Israel and create jobs for the impoverished. Lastly, he will have injected a powerful dose of regional stability into the Middle-East.
Yes, the day Yassar Arafat is dead, I will sip champagne knowing that both Israeli and Palestinian children will now have the opportunity of sharing smiles and laughs, rather than bullets and tears.