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    Sharon Edges Closer to World War

    By GILAD ATZMON

    Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin was murdered at daybreak on
    Monday. Israel Air Force helicopters fired missiles at the car carrying the
    wheelchair-bound head of the Islamic group as he left a mosque near his
    house in Gaza City. It also appears Ariel Sharon was in direct command of
    the assassination operation, not entirely surprising considering his bloody
    history.

    For those who fail to realise, today's barbaric Israeli act is an open call
    for a world war. It is the final wake up call for every Muslim around the
    world. It is violent proof that Israel isn't only against the Palestinians
    but rather against Islam. Israel killed a prime spiritual leader on his way
    out of the mosque. I have no doubt that this Israeli act won't be forgiven.
    I also have no doubt that many Israelis will pay with their life for
    Sharon's act. Moreover I am sure that sooner rather than later many innocent
    non-Israelis around the world will die just for being near by an Israeli
    embassy, Israeli consulate, a synagogue or even an American bank...This is
    the reality Sharon favours the most.

    This is exactly what Israel wants: to turn the entire world into a victim of
    terror. This might help us to realise the main difference between the
    Israeli left and right. While both believe in the right of the Jews to live
    in Zion at the expense of the Palestinian people, the Israeli right wing
    rely on maintaining a bloody struggle, oppressing the Palestinian people (in
    particular) and humiliating Arabs (in general). While the Israeli left would
    attempt to come up with some unrealistic righteous suggestions to appease
    the Palestinian people and the world community (Oslo accord for instance),
    the right wing Israelis will suggest that the only method to guarantee
    Israeli security is to maintain the conflict with the Palestinian people and
    to let it escalate into an international battle.

    On the surface it seems bizarre considering Sharon was just recently
    pretending to suggest a plan of Israeli disengagement from the Gaza strip.
    Today he gave us a real chance to peep into his mind. The 'disengagement
    plan' was just another of Sharon's tricks. In fact, Sharon and the Israeli
    right wing need the Palestinians, they need them oppressed and humiliated,
    they need their terror. Israeli right wing hegemony is fed by terror. And
    now there is a new need emerging. Israel is facing a demographic disaster.
    Within five years there will be a Palestinian majority in the territories
    controlled by Israel (between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River).
    This is literally the end of the Zionist dream. Eventually Israel will have
    to give away its Jewish identity. While the Israeli left remains confused
    about this reality, the Israeli right wing is fully prepared. For years
    Israeli warmongers have openly discussed 'transfer': the ethnic cleansing of
    the Pales tinian people. Considering the current world affairs and general
    opposition to Israel it is hard to believe that large scale ethnic cleansing
    would go ahead unless some colossal catastrophe was in place. Sharon is
    preparing the ground for such a disaster. He needs a war, a big one,
    something that will allow him to go wild, to go out of control, to initiate
    a campaign in which Israeli soldiers will become murderous squads ready
    massacre against the Palestinian civilians. Sharon wants to re-launch the
    1948 Nakba. Sharon fully understands that this is what the Israeli public
    want. He is very good at reading their innermost desires.

    The killing of Sheikh Yassin pushed the violence far beyond any recognisable
    measure. It is pushing the Palestinian masses towards martyrdom. According
    to the Israeli military doctrine, Israel would never be defeated by terror.
    But at the same time every Israeli realises that the Zionist adventure will
    be categorically defeated by a demographic crisis. The assassination of
    Sheikh Yassin is there to push the Palestinians towards acts that will allow
    the Israelis to impose the most murderous measures against the Palestinian
    civilians. Mr Sharon, a world acclaimed war criminal and serial murderer
    proved again that at least when blood games are concerned, he is one step
    ahead of the game.

    Gilad Atzmon was born in Israel and served in the Israeli military. He is
    the author of the new novel A Guide to the Perplexed . Atzmon is also one of
    the most accomplished jazz saxophonists in Europe. His new CD, Exile, was
    just named the year's best jazz CD by the BBC. He now lives in London and
    can be reached at: atz@onetel.net.uk

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    Zionism And The Politics Of Assassination

    On Extra-judicial Executions

    By Mazin Qumsiyeh
    http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article5925.htm

    03/22/04: As the fourth strongest army in the world, Israel could have
    arrested the quadriplegic and partially blind spiritual elder of the Islamic
    Resistance Movement (Hamas). But history shows that such extrajudicial
    executions (200 so far) create instability and a cycle of revenge that is
    calculated to serve Zionist colonization efforts.

    Political Zionism started in 1845 with a British feasibility study for
    Jewish colonization in Palestine to further British interests in weakening
    the Ottoman Empire and establish connections to colonial holdings in India.
    The adoption of this political (as opposed to religious or cultural) Zionism
    by a small but very influential segment of Ashkenazi Jews in Europe was
    deemed crucial for success. Zionism remained marginal among Jews until it
    capitalized on the atrocities of WWII. Early advocates of Zionism did not
    shy away from using the term colonization to describe their activities or to
    describe the use of violence to achieve their goals because natives will
    always resist such efforts. This violence against native Palestinians
    started in 1917 when the Zionist Herbert Samuel was appointed as British
    high commissioner. He made it clear with violent action that the end result
    will be the creation of a Jewish state in a land that had less than 6%
    Jewish population.

    Most native Jews, including the Palestinian Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, were
    opposed to Zionism at the time. Before 1917 Palestinian Christians, Muslims,
    and Jews coexisted in relative harmony. Violence between 1917 and 1949
    resulted in the establishment of a Jewish state and the ethnic cleansing of
    530 Palestinian villages and towns. Israel rejected International law by
    adopting exclusionary laws that prevent refugees from returning while
    offering automatic citizenship to Jews (including converts) from anywhere in
    the world. Zionists expected resistance of Palestinian Christians and
    Muslims. 800,000 were made refugees by 1949 (now nearly 5 million including
    Yassin's family). Israeli leaders from Ben Gurion to Sharon have always used
    the 'Zionist response' to resistance: overwhelming violence and increased
    colonization.

    It was Zionist Jews who were first to plant bombs in market places
    (1930s), first bomb civilian neighborhoods using aircraft (1947), first
    sent mail letter bombs (1940s), and first to hijack (1954) and shoot
    down (1973) civilian airplanes. As our biased mainstream US media keeps
    emphasizing, Palestinians also engaged in expected violent resistance.
    Violence is a symptom and was used to further colonization efforts
    whether in Palestine or in America (against Native Americans). It is not
    a coincidence that the major waves of expulsions of Palestinians
    occurred between October 1947 to January 1949 and in June 1967. It is
    not a coincidence that in the name of 'security', Israel destroyed over
    3000 Palestinian homes rendering some 15,000 civilians homeless, most in
    the most desirable land. The Apartheid wall (being built with the excuse
    of the violence) is not separating Israel from the occupied areas but is
    surrounding Palestinians in small cantons to starve them and force them
    to leave. Thus, Zionist leaders deem violence and escalation a sound
    strategy because, as the first Prime Minister of Israel admitted, peace
    would mean having to restore rights to native people.

    Israel's assassination of Sheikh Yassin was described as stupid (Gush
    Shalom), horrendous mistake (Yossi Beilin), contrary to International law
    (Amnesty International and the European Union), and a war crime (Israeli
    liberal leaders). I think such actions remove any doubt about the fact that
    political Zionism is incompatible with peace in the 21st century. As for us
    here, Israel's strong lobby in congress drained us of over $100 billion in
    direct aid and much more indirectly. It is responsible for the low standing
    of the US around the world. The price tag is much higher in lives lost:
    American, Israeli, Palestinian, Iraqi, and others.

    Just like South Africa shed apartheid, Israel must shed Zionism and become a
    country for people of all religions rather than a country for and by Jews.
    The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (including the right of refugees
    to return) provides the most logical road map to peace. The American public
    can no longer afford to allow our government to keep supporting violence and
    war against the will of the international community. Only then will we begin
    to rectify historic injustices and bring peace at home and abroad.

    Mazin Qumsiyeh is an associate professor at Yale University and co-founder
    of the Palestine Right to Return Coalition.

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    Maariv survey: 61% support Yasin killing, 21% object

    Even though only 9% expect terror to decline after Hamas leader's
    elimination; small majority wants Arafat killed too.

    Maariv News Service

    An evening poll conducted yesterday (Monday) by Maariv and “The New
    Wave” indicates that 61% of the population supports the IDF's killing of
    Hamas leader Ahmad Yasin. 21% thought Israel should not have killed the
    Hamas leader.

    The poll also reveals that the Israeli public is more evenly divided on
    the question of whether Israel should also assassinate the Chairman of
    the Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat. 43% believe Israel should
    eliminate Arafat, while 38% object to such an operation.

    According to the survey, respondents are already resigned to the new
    terror wave that is expected following the Yasin hit: 55% believe terror
    will increase. 36% think it would not change while only 9% claim the
    level of terror would decrease.

    The survey sample was 504 adult Israelis, including Arabs -- which
    appears to indicate that among Jews support for the Yasin killing is
    even higher. The margin of error was 4.2%.

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