World Slams 'Unlawful'
Rantissi Killing, US Defends
IslamOnline.net
4-18-4
WORLD CAPITALS (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) -- The whole world
slammed Israel for its extrajudicial execution of newly-appointed
Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip Abdelaziz Rantissi, with the European
Union dubbing it "unlawful and provocative". Washington alone,
however, defended Israel.
In Straffan, Ireland, E.U. Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana said
late Saturday, April17 , that Israel's extrajudicial execution of
Rantissi was "not conducive to lowering tension".
"The European Union has consistently condemned extrajudicial
killings," Solana said in a statement issued during talks between E.U.
and Asian foreign ministers, according to Reuters.
"Israel has a right to protect its citizens from terrorist attacks,
but actions of this type are not only unlawful, they are not conducive
to lowering tension."
Calling it a "violation of international law", United Nations
Secretary General Kofi Annan called on Israel to "immediately end" the
practice of "extrajudicial killings".
In a statement issued by his spokesman, Annan condemned the Rantissi
extrajudicial execution and urged Palestinians and Israelis to resume
negotiations based on the Middle East roadmap drawn by the U.N., U.S.,
European Union and Russia, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Israel assassinated Rantissi in a helicopter strike in the Gaza Strip
Saturday, less than a month after he succeeded Hamas founder and
spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, whom Israel killed in a similar
attack.
Portuguese Foreign Minister Teresa Gouveia said the extrajudicial
execution "in no way contributes to the resolution of the Middle East
conflict".
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said such assassinations were
wrong and unhelpful to peace.
"The British government has made it repeatedly clear that so-called
targeted assassinations of this kind are unlawful, unjustified and
counterproductive," Straw said in a statement.
Italy also warned that the extrajudicial execution could lead to
further bloodshed.
"Italy, like the whole of the European Union, has always condemned the
practice of targeted assassinations, which contribute to furthering
the spiral of hatred and violence," Italian Foreign Minister Franco
Frattini said.
Arabs Condemn
The extrajudicial execution drew strong rebukes from Arab countries,
as well.
Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said condemned the
assassination and slammed Israelís "state terrorism".
"The continuation of this Israeli policy of aggression demands serious
action from the international community to secure international
protection for the Palestinian people," he said in a statement.
Qatar was the first Arab state to officially condemn the Rantissi
extrajudicial killing branding it "a terrorist crime by Israel,"
according to Aljazeera.
The Jordanian government, which has a peace treaty with Israel,
convened an urgent meeting after the assassination and condemned "the
Israeli crime".
In Cairo, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher lashed out at the
Israeli crime, accusing Israel of driving the region to deep abyss.
The Peopleís Assembly (Egyptís lower house of parliament) Arab Affairs
Committee held an emergency meeting and issued a statement condemning
"Israelís state terrorism".
Iranian Vice President Mohammad Ali Abtahi, calling Rantissi a
"martyr," said the assassination was a "big crime" that "will only
give fresh blood to the resistance (movement) in the region."
U.S. Defends Israel
Singing like a canary, the White House defended Israel which defiantly
vowed to continue what it called "eliminating terrorists".
"Israel has the right to defend itself from terrorist attacks," the
White House said in a statement. "Hamas is a terrorist organization
that attacks civilians."
The statement said Israel should "consider carefully the consequences
of its actions" and called on "all parties to exercise maximum
restraint at this time".
"The United States is gravely concerned for regional peace and
stability," the White House said.
A U.S. State Department official told CNN Washington neither gave
"Israel any kind of green light" to kill Rantissi nor had advance
knowledge of the attack on his car in Gaza City.
He was apparently responding to Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei
charges that the extrajudicial execution was a "direct result" of U.S.
support for Israel.
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