While the Zionist entity pretends to be a reconstituted Kingdom of Israel, they are actually the Assassins, the murderous medieval sect reborn. This dreadful secretive group killed best men, Muslim and Christians alike, flamed out war, brought the area into the spin of self-destruction. Only foreign invasion (of Mongol army) eliminated their base and made the world more stable for hundreds of years. The new Assassins turned peaceful Holy Land into their lair of murderous designs. But no murder of spiritual figure will bring victory to the doomed Zionist cause. One day, there will be a great memorial to the saintly Shaikh in liberated Palestine, while his killers will be damned forever. Please receive our deep condolencies in this sad day.
Israel and Alice Shamir
P.O.B. 23714
61236 Tel Aviv
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PRESS STATEMENT
ISSUED BY

THE PALESTINIAN COUNCIL OF MINISTERS

Date: March 22, 2004.

" The Palestinian government eulogizes Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, Founder of the Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas"

The Palestinian government eulogizes our lofty Palestinian people and our Arab and Islamic nations, on the passing away of the Palestinian martyr Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, the prominent political and the spiritual leader and founder of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), and a number of his aides and other Palestinian citizens, who were assassinated by Israeli terrorists after the Dawn Prayer in Gaza City today.

The Palestinian government expresses deep concern to this serious juncture in the ongoing Israeli aggression against our people and our political leaderships-an aggression which oversteps all red signals and opens the door ajar for the escalation of violence and counter violence between the Palestinian and Israeli peoples.

This abominable crime against a key Palestinian political leader and a religious symbol in the Palestinian society which Israel has commenced to perpetrate, represents a direct trend from the right wing government in Israel to kill in the bud all hopes towards reaching peace and to indulge the entire region into the circle of violence and hatred and to legitimize shedding blood of innocent people.

The Palestinian government views this tyrannical Israeli assault another additional clue on the Israeli government's dedication to escalate up its attacks and endorses the logic of genocide, oppression and destruction.

While the institutions of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the Palestinian government, the Palestinian Legislative Council, and the Revolutionary Council of Fatah Movement have called for a reciprocal cease-fire and a return to the roadmap, the Israeli occupation forces are carrying out its daily assassination campaigns against the Palestinian people throughout the occupied territories, desecrating holy shrines, and continuing its occupation to the PNA's controlled areas. All these atrocities are being carried out while the international cosponsors of the peace process including the quartet committee and the US government are showing ill and negative response towards these bloody events and a deaf air to all repeated appeals by the Palestinian government in seeking appropriate international protection for the Palestinian people.

At this particular time witnessing concerted Arab efforts to advance the momentum of peace through holding an Arab summit, this big Israeli crime was perpetrated as a signal to the forthcoming summit in Tunisia. The timing of this crime reflects the negative Israeli response toward peace and unveils its serious intentions towards our people and its leaderships.

The Palestinian government looks forward for the forthcoming Arab summit as a good opportunity to find out appropriate mechanisms to adopt a just Arab and international resolution in favor of the Palestinian cause and provides adequate protection for our people and leadership including lifting the long awaited siege against President Arafat.

The Palestinian government requests the US administration as a cosponsor of the peace process, to immediately intervene to curtail the Israeli government rush towards mass liquidation of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian leaderships and to provide urgent international protection to our people against non stop Israeli attacks.

The Palestinian government also appeals to the UN and the members of the quartet committee and all influential countries for an immediate intervention to stop collective corporal punishments against our people and to act toward providing international protection to our people. The Palestinian government expects holding a meeting by the UN Security Council to take appropriate resolutions against Israel and its arrogant policies.

On the eve of this painful and tragic occasion, the Palestinian government expresses its deep condolences to the Palestinian people imploring God to forgive our beloved martyr Sheikh Ahmad Yassin and accepts him as a martyr.

In cohesion with the Palestinian Leadership's decision, the Palestinian government declares a 3-day mourning effective Monday morning and to suspend work this day at all Palestinian institutions and schools .

Notwithstanding its anger and condemnation of this heinous crime, the Palestinian government asks all Palestinian individual and nationalist and Islamic factions to align ranks and enhance national unity, safeguard our rights and achievements, and to advocate our national project which our people had paid dearly to achieve.