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Sheikh Ahmed Ismail Yassin (1937? — March 22, 2004) was the leader of Hamas until he was killed by an Israeli helicopter gunship. Yassin co-founded Hamas with Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi in 1987, originally calling it the Palestinian Wing of the Muslim Brotherhood. In addition to being nearly blind, he was a quadriplegic and was confined to a wheelchair after a sports accident in his youth. Despite his paralysis, he somehow managed to father 12 children.
Early life
Yassin was born near the town of Ashkelon. His date of birth is not known for certain: according to his Palestinian passport, he was born on January 1, 1929, but he claimed to have actually been born in 1938. He and his family moved to Gaza after his village was destroyed in 1948 during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
Yassin studied at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt, following secondary school, despite his paralysis. He did not attend a traditional madrassa that would have given him the authentic title of "sheikh," but he received it as an honorary title from his followers. The Muslim Brotherhood was founded at Al-Azhar, and the University was a hotbed of Islamism and Arab nationalism. Yassin joined the Brotherhood at some point during his studies at Al-Azhar.
Yassin repeatedly said that the land of Israel is "consecrated for future Muslim generations until Judgement Day" and that "The so-called peace path is not peace and it is not a substitute for jihad and resistance." [1] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/middle_east/2001/israel_and_the_palestinians/profiles/1695470.stm).
In 1989 Yassin allegedly ordered the killing of Palestinians who he believed had collaborated with the Israel Defence Forces. He was also convicted of ordering the kidnapping and killing of two IDF soldiers. He was arrested by Israel for these crimes and sentenced to life imprisonment by an Israeli court.
Release and later life
In 1997 Yassin was released from Israeli prison as part of an arrangement with Jordan following a failed assassination attempt of Khaled Mashal conducted by the Israeli Mossad in Jordan. Yassin was released by Israel in exchange for two Mossad agents who had been arrested by Jordanian authorities, on condition that he refrain from calling for suicide bombings against Israel.
Following his release, Yassin reassumed his leadership of Hamas. He immediately resumed his calls for violence against Israeli occupation using tactics including suicide bombings against both Israeli military and civilian targets, thus violating the condition of his release. His epigram is his most famous quote: "We chose this road, and will end with martyrdom or victory".
During the various stages of the peace process between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA), Yassin was repeatedly placed under house arrest by the PA. Each time Yassin was placed under house arrest he was eventually released, often after extended demonstrations by his supporters.
On June 13, 2003, Israeli sources announced that Yassin "is not immune" to assassination under the Israeli doctrine of targeted assassination.
Three months later, on September 6, 2003, an Israeli Air Force (IAF) F-16 dropped a quarter-ton bomb on a building in Gaza City, the Gaza Strip. Yassin was in the building at the time and was lightly wounded by the assassination attempt. Israeli officials would later confirm that Yassin was a target of the attack. Yassin was treated for injuries sustained in the attack at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
Following the assassination attempt, Yassin told reporters that "Days will prove that the assassination policy will not finish the Hamas. Hamas leaders wish to be martyrs and are not scared of death. Jihad will continue and the resistance will continue until we have victory, or we will be martyrs." [2] (http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/09/06/mideast.violence/)
Yassin further said that Hamas would teach Israel an "unforgettable lesson" as a result of the assassination attempt [3] (http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/s940813.htm). Nonetheless, Yassin made no attempt to guard himself from further assassination attempts or hide his location. Journalists sometimes visited his Gaza address, and Yassin maintained a consistent routine of being wheeled every morning to a nearby mosque.
Death
Ahmed Yassin was assassinated in an Israeli attack on March 22, 2004. While he was being wheeled out of an early morning prayer session, he was struck by Hellfire missiles fired from Israeli helicopter gunships and died instantly, along with eight others. More than a dozen people were injured in the attack, including two of his sons. The attack, which was part of an ongoing Israeli retaliation against Hamas-sponsored suicide bombings, followed Sheikh Yassin's taunt that Israel's response to the Ashdod suicide bombers was weak, and that Hamas would gain strength as a result.
Israel said the "targeted killing" was a punishment for dozens of suicide bombings by Hamas against Israeli civilians. Yassin's supporters and many countries condemned his assassination.
The Israel Defense Forces issued this statement regarding the assassination:
- "This morning, in a security forces operation in the northern Gaza Strip, the IDF targeted a car carrying the head of the Hamas terror organization, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, and his aides.
- Yassin, responsible for numerous murderous terror attacks, resulting in the deaths of many civilians, both Israeli and foreign, was killed in the attack."
Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh commented: "This is the moment Sheikh Yassin dreamed about". The Hamas leadership said Ariel Sharon had "opened the gates of hell." The Hamas political wing then called for its members to kill Ariel Sharon whenever and wherever possible.
The UN Security Council failed to pass a resolution condemning the assassination after the United States vetoed the resolution with Britain, Germany, and Romania abstaining. The United States vetoed the resolution as it did not include an explicit condemnation of Hamas terrorism. US ambassador to Iraq John Negroponte stated that the USA was "deeply troubled" by the killing, and characterized Yassin as "the leader of a terrorist organization [...] who preached hatred, and glorified suicide bombings of buses, restaurants, and cafes."
Israel dismissed criticism over the assassination, claiming that Yassin was a terror mastermind and not just a "spiritual leader". Israeli speakers called Yassin "the Palestinian Osama bin Laden".
External links
- Reports on death
- Profiles of Yassin
- UN Response
- Miscellaneous
ar:احمد ياسين
ca:hmad Yassn
de:Ahmad Jassin
es:Ahmed Yasn
eo:Aĥmed JASIN
fr:Ahmed Yassine
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it:Ahmed Yassin
he:אחמד יאסין
nl:Ahmad Yassin
ja:アフマド・ヤースィーン
pl:Ahmed Jassin
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zh-cn:谢赫·艾哈迈德·亚辛
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