Hamas founder killed

[Clarkmeister]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...l_palestinians

Amazingly, things are going to get uglier over there.

[ACPlayer]

Good news: One less religious fundamentalist to deal with.

Bad news: There are plenty of religious fundamentalists (Jews and Muslims) who like to wantonly kill each other left over there.

More Bad News: There are plenty of disaffected people on who can be used by the extremists on either side for their respective killing machines.

Killing in the name of God shall continue in the "Holy" lands.

I think I will avoid Palestine/Israel for the moment.

[Zeno]

From the Article:

Al Aqsa, a secular group responsible for dozens of attacks on Israelis, said in a statement faxed to The Associated Press, "An eye for an eye, and the retaliation will be in the coming hours, God willing."

Outside the morgue at Shifa Hospital, Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh, a close associate of Yassin, said, "This is the moment Sheik Yassin dreamed about. Sheik Yassin lived and died and offered his life to Palestine.

"Sheik Yassin was a hero and a fighter and the leader of a nation, and (he) is in heaven now."

Cars drove through the streets blaring calls for revenge over loudspeakers. Some aired recordings of Yassin, saying, "We chose this road, and will end with martyrdom or victory."

Mosques read passages from the Quran and two Gaza churches rang their church bells.

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[Gamblor]

Some aired recordings of Yassin, saying, "We chose this road, and will end with martyrdom or victory

More telling words were never spoken.

They chose this road.

It will most certainly end in the former.

[Cyrus]

Violence between Israelis and Palestinians will escalate even further and will probably hit the United States as well.

Forget the characterizations for a moment and look at it from a practical point of view. Both Arafat and the Hamas leader, Yassin, have been termed "terrorists" by the Israelis. And Israel is admittedly extremely powerful and well-informed about the movements of these men. The question then about Israel's reasons for not killing them can only be answered thusly : Because Israel has chosen not to.

Why has it chosen not to? Well, as the article linked by Clarkmeister says, "Past Israeli governments were reluctant to target Yassin, fearing a firestorm of revenge attacks."

If that is so, let's ask ourselves not if Arafat or Yassin are criminals and not if they deserve to die. Let's ask ourselves if their killing (Yassin's for the monent) serves peace or serves a further descend into hell.

Then let's ask ourselves which of the two sides in the conflict is best served by such an escalation. (If you have troubles answering this question, try spelling "Bush Peace Road Map". Without laughing.)

Peace Now?

[nicky g]

This has killed any chance of a peaceful settlement for at least a decade.
What are the chances Sharon will "regretfully" have to indefinitely postpone his Gaza withdrawal plan once the cycle of revenge violence gets going? The Israeli government is deliberately engaging in the most blatant kind of terrorist tactitcs: provoke a terrible response from the other side to justify further violence.

[adios]

[ QUOTE ]
This has killed any chance of a peaceful settlement for at least a decade.

[/ QUOTE ]

You're dreaming, this hasn't effected the chance of a peaceful settlement one iota.

[ QUOTE ]
What are the chances Sharon will "regretfully" have to indefinitely postpone his Gaza withdrawal plan once the cycle of revenge violence gets going?

[/ QUOTE ]

Given that the Yassin assassanation was part of the cycle of revenge violence I'm not sure this has changed anything. What are the chances that Hamas will end it's terrorist attacks on Israel? NADA, the same as it was before Yassin was killed.

[ QUOTE ]
The Israeli government is deliberately engaging in the most blatant kind of terrorist tactitcs: provoke a terrible response from the other side to justify further violence.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've got one for you. Just substitute "Hamas" for "The Isreali government."

Hamas is deliberately engaging in the most blatant kind of terrorist tactitcsrovoke a terrible response from the other side to justify further violence.

[nicky g]

Of course Hamas is engaged in similar tactics. They're a terrorist group that everyone here roundly condemns. Nevertheless, the Israeli government is now clearly playing exactly the same game.
You're the dreamer if you think this will have no bearing. The Israelis simply are not going to be able to defeat Hamas militarily. The only way to end the violence is some kind of negotiated solution that drains away support for the terrorists. Instead this is going to double it, and there is zero chance of a drop in the violence in the forseeable future. You will say that there never was such a chance but that repeated lulls and offers of ceasefires demonstrate that simply isn't true and you just demonstrate your ignorance of the situation by repeating such uninformed rhetoric.

[adios]

[ QUOTE ]
You're the dreamer if you think this will have no bearing.

[/ QUOTE ]

And you stated in another thread:

[ QUOTE ]
Someone else will replace Yassin, a lot more people will die, and nothing will have been accomplished except Sharon getting a hard-on from directing another pointless killing.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for making my case for me. Same old stuff.

[ QUOTE ]
The only way to end the violence is some kind of negotiated solution that drains away support for the terrorists.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ok what sort? Outline the parameters and of such a solution that Hamas and Sharon will accept.

[ QUOTE ]
Instead this is going to double it, and there is zero chance of a drop in the violence in the forseeable future.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep more people killed at a faster rate I really can't argue with that.

[ QUOTE ]
You will say that there never was such a chance but that repeated lulls and offers of ceasefires demonstrate that simply isn't true

[/ QUOTE ]

Considering that I haven't heard one bit of common ground between Hamas and the Israelis I think that your statement is wishful thinking. There isn't a shred of evidence to back it up.

[ QUOTE ]
you just demonstrate your ignorance of the situation by repeating such uninformed rhetoric.

[/ QUOTE ]

Rhetoric? What post are you referring to? Where's the common ground between Hamas and the Israeli's on which a settlement can be negotiated?

[adios]

Here's a safer bet for ya, suicide terrorist attacks will continue in Israel. When Hamas states that there will be retaliation what else is new? Like it really matters whether or not Yassin was killed. At least Yassin went the way he wanted to go.