Ahmed Yasin

Sheikh Áhmed Yasín, احمد ياسين (circa 1937 - March 22, 2004) was the co-founder and leader of the Palestinian group Hamas. Yasin founded Hamas in 1987 under the name Palestinian Wing of the Muslim Brotherhood. In addition to being nearly blind, he was a quadriplegic and confined to a wheelchair since the age of 12, when he suffered a spinal injury while playing football in the Chatti refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.

Beginnings

Jasin was born near the city of Ashkelon, now in Israel, but as a child fled to Gaza after his village was destroyed in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.

He studied at al-Azhar University in Cairo (Egypt) after finishing high school, despite his paralysis. He did not attend a traditional madrasa, which would have officially given him the title of sheikh, rather he was so called by his followers. The Muslim Brotherhood organization was founded at al-Azhar, and the university was a hotbed of Islamist and pan-Arab insurgency. Yasin joined the Brotherhood at some point during his studies at al-Azhar.

Jasin repeatedly stated that the land of Palestine is "sacred for future Muslim generations until Judgment Day" and that "the so-called peace is not peace and is not a substitute for jihad and resistance."

In 1989 Yassin allegedly ordered the killing of several Palestinians who he claimed had collaborated with the occupying Israel Defense Forces (IDF). He was also found guilty of ordering the killing of two IDF soldiers. He was arrested by Israel for these crimes and sentenced to life imprisonment by an Israeli court.

Liberation and prominence

In 1997 Yassin was released from the Israeli penal system as part of a settlement with Jordan after a failed assassination attempt on Khalid Mashal by the Israeli Mossad in Jordan. Yassin was released in exchange for two Mossad agents who had been arrested by the Jordanian authorities.

After his release, Yasin returned to his role as the spiritual leader of Hamas. He immediately resumed his calls for resistance to the Israeli occupation including the justification of suicide attacks against both Israeli military and civilian targets.

During the various stages of the "peace process" between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), Yassin was often placed under house arrest by the PNA. Each time this happened, Yasín was eventually released, often after prolonged demonstrations by his supporters. On June 13, 2003, Israeli sources announced that Yasin was "not immune," referring to the Israeli doctrine of targeted killing.

Three months later, on September 6, 2003, an Israel Air Force (IAF) F-16 dropped a quarter-ton bomb on a building in Gaza. Yasín was in the building at the time of the attack and suffered minor injuries during the attack. The Israeli authorities later confirmed that Yassin was the target of the operation. Yasin was treated for injuries sustained in the attack at Gaza's Shifa Hospital.

After this attack on his person, Yasín told reporters that "Days will prove that the policy of assassinations will not put an end to Hamas. Hamas leaders want to be martyrs and are not afraid of death. The jihad will continue and the resistance will continue until we are victorious or martyred." He also claimed that Hamas would teach Israel an "unforgettable lesson."

Death

Yasin was finally killed by Israel in one of its so-called "targeted operations" on March 22, 2004; as he left an early morning prayer session. He was hit by missiles fired from attack helicopters. Yasín died instantly, along with seven other people. In addition, more than a dozen people were injured in the attack, including two of his children. The attack was part of an Israeli retaliation against suicide attacks justified by Hamas. It came after Yassin had proclaimed that Hamas would be stronger because of Israel's weak response.

Hamas member Ismail Haniyeh commented: "This is the moment Sheikh Yasin dreamed of." The Hamas leadership declared that Ariel Sharon has "opened the gates of hell."

With the exception of the United States, most countries strongly condemned Yasín's death, criticizing its extrajudicial nature.

Relationship with the West

Jack Straw, then British Foreign Secretary, said: 'We all understand Israel's need to protect itself - and its full right to do so - against terrorism targeting it, within international law. But what he has no right is to resort to this type of homicide and we condemn him. It is unacceptable, unjustified and very poorly achieved to achieve its objectives."

In response to a question about his death, on March 23, 2004, President George W. Bush responded:

As far as the Middle East is concerned, it is a convulsing region, and the attacks were serious. There is a need to focus and make concerted efforts on all sides to combat terror. Every country has the right to defend itself from terror. Israel has the right to defend itself from terror. And do it the way it does. I hope you think of the consequences to make sure we're on the road to peace.

John Negroponte, then ambassador to Iraq, characterized Yasin as "leader of a terrorist organization.