Earlier in the week Israeli helicopter gunships fired three rockets at the wheelchair-bound figurehead of HAMAS as he exited the Islamic Association Mosque in the densely populated al-Sabra neighborhood in the center of Gaza City. This, the second assassination attempt on the 66-year-old Yassin, was successful.

Israel’s targeting campaign has killed over 337 Palestinians with 40% of the victims being non-combatants since September of 2000.
World leaders and governing institutions have rejected the extra-judicial killing. The United States characterized the US equipped attack as “Deeply Troubling”. Yassin’s murder has sparked outrage in the region and beyond.

portions adapted from Nigel Parry, The Electronic Intifada

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I've been keeping my head in the sand about this issue as well as Hamas for a while, but I finally had some time to read TIME's take on the situ. So, my impressions today are from mainstream media.

It was 100% a provocative move on Israel's part. It can only hurt any potential peace process for a long time.

Hamas are really fucked up with their terrorism, but, their political support is based in the insecurity and poverty inherent in being Palestinian in Israel. By making and keeping Palestinians poor, Israel creates the social conditions that breed not only suicide bombers, but probably plain-old-suicide as well.

Within the Time article, over and over, Palestinians were quoted about the pride they have in Hamas. This is strikingly familiar language, and reminds me of other post-colonial voices. It's the voice of the powerless seizing whatever possible dignity they can recover.


All this fixation on the violence, as always, obscures the fundamental issues of poverty and social justice. The terrorism, of the opressed and of the state, becomes the conflict that prevents the resolution of the deeper conflict that must be addressed if any lasting peace is to be achieved.

The war on terrorism effectively elevates violence into a politics, and responds in kind with more violence (rather than politics). Political problems demand political solutions, not violence.

I think a staunch refusal to negotiate with terrorists cannot be effective unless an offer is made to negotiate with non-terrorists to address the same issues. Otherwise, the demands of terrorists are conflated to the act of terrorism itself.... when, in fact, some of the demands of terrorists may have merit.

...wow...well said.

I agree as well.

I don't capitalize "palestinian".

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.

Haaretz March 26, 2004

..."In these past three years in particular, there is no mine that Israel has failed to step on, no opportunity it hasn't missed, no path it hasn't embarked on in the certain knowledge that it will be harmful"...

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