The Hindu : Hamas after Yassin

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Sunday, Mar 28, 2004

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Hamas after Yassin

The challenge before Hamas is to prevent its struggle against Israeli occupation lapsing into an Al-Qaeda style religious war.

This 1997 file photo shows the Hamas' new leader, Khalid Meshaal (standing), with Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.

THE ASSASSINATION of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, spiritual leader of the Palestinian militant outfit, Hamas, by Israel, could have a lasting impact on the political and ideological discourse in West Asia. The missile strike from helicopter gunships on the paraplegic Sheikh Yassin in Gaza on March 22 triggered a wave of revulsion and sorrow among the Arabs in the region.

Calls for revenge were spontaneous and strong. Giving voice to Palestinian anger, Hamas leader Abdal-Aziz al-Rantissi said, "war is henceforth open with these murderers, these criminals and these terrorists. They know it's opened, there will be no revenge, it's an open war.." The fury generated by the killing spread quickly to influential quarters in the region. Most significantly, in a move that is likely to encourage the fusion of the Iraqi resistance and the Palestinian struggle, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the top Shia spiritual leader of Iraq, called for solidarity and struggle against alien occupation. The Ayatollah called upon "the sons of the Arab and Islamic nations to close ranks unite and work hard for the liberation of the usurped land and restore rights."

Elsewhere in West Asia, students spontaneously protested in Cairo's Al Azhar University, Sheikh Yassin's Alma Mater. The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, to which Yassin once belonged and which is part of a wider West Asian network, also expressed anger and outrage. In a veiled reference to Jordan and Egypt, which have signed peace treaties with Israel, Mahdi Akif of the organisation said Arab Governments should sever relations with Israel.

The impact of Yassin's killing was also palpable in Sudan. The country's Islamic leader, Hassan Turabi, told Al-Jazeera television that the killing would "put pressure on the Arab Governments that have so far let down the Palestinian cause." Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Hizbollah — an organisation actively backed by Iran and Syria — issued a stern warning to Israel. In a live appearance on Hizbollah's Al-Manar television, he said the Israelis would soon discover that they had "committed a very big folly, to add to their previous follies."

The Hizbollah also fired rockets at the Israeli-controlled Shebba farms that are located at a strategic tri-junction of Israel, Lebanon and Syria. Mr. Nasrallah's assertions have wide impact as the Hizbollah, under his stewardship, played a key role in forcing Israel out of southern Lebanon in 2000, ending its 18-year-old occupation.

The killing has reinforced calls for widening the Palestinian struggle and bringing the United States, which backs Israel, within its ambit. The Najaf-born Shia leader of Lebanon, Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, has accused George W. Bush of masterminding the crime.

Even while Yassin's killing has generated great empathy for the Palestinian cause, Hamas has to work hard to give concrete shape to this support. Organisationally, it will find it difficult to identify a successor of Yassin's calibre. He was arguably the only person in Hamas who could unite the various strands in the West Bank and Gaza. Yassin gave overall direction to the outfit's military, political and welfare wings without exercising operational control over any of them.

A day after Yassin's death, the Hamas chose Khalid Meshaal as its overall head. Based in Damascus, Mr. Meshaal survived an attempt on his life by Israeli agents in 1997. He had earlier stayed in Amman and was involved in raising funds for Hamas before King Abdullah II shut down his office.

The Hamas' decision to station him outside the territories appears to have been driven by two key considerations. First, with the Israelis clamping down on Gaza, Palestinians outside the territories will have more freedom to conduct their activities. Second, some experts are of the view that with Israel declaring its intent to assassinate other Hamas leaders also, safety considerations may be behind the decision.

Inside Gaza, Mr. Rantissi has been chosen the Hamas chief. Despite the sentiment within the organisation to expand the resistance, Hamas, in its immediate response, said it did not intend carrying out the resistance outside the territories. Mr. Rantissi also clarified that his group did not wish to target the U.S. "If they (Americans) are worried, then they are stupid because we have said it many times that we will target only our enemy, the (Israeli) occupiers," he said in Gaza City on Wednesday.

The challenge before Hamas is to prevent its struggle against Israeli occupation lapsing into an Al-Qaeda style religious war. As the popularity of Hamas soars, it is likely to consolidate its hold and emerge as the unrivalled Palestinian group, especially in the Gaza Strip. That would mean reworking political equations and a fresh understanding between Hamas and the mainstream Palestine Liberation Organisation and its Fatah faction. The challenge may not be insurmountable, as the killing appears to have strongly reinforced the bonding among Palestinians across the political spectrum.

Atul Aneja

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