Military

DATE=3/22/2004

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=ISRAEL / PALESTINIANS / WRAP (L-O)

NUMBER=2-314373

BYLINE=MEREDITH BUEL

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Tens of thousands of angry Palestinians have marched through Gaza City, denouncing Israel for killing the leader of Hamas, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. Israeli officials say Sheikh Yassin was a terrorist responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people in the Jewish state. Arab and European leaders, however, are condemning the attack. Correspondent Meredith Buel reports from Washington.

TEXT: /// NATURAL SOUND CROWD CHANTING UP AND UNDER TEXT ///

Palestinians marched through Gaza and the West Bank while similar protests occurred throughout the Arab world after the targeted killing of Sheikh Yassin.

The Hamas leader was killed by missiles fired from Israeli helicopters as he left a mosque in Gaza City following morning prayers.

Israeli officials say Sheikh Yassin was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Israelis who have been killed by suicide bombers.

After meetings with top Bush administration officials here in Washington, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom called Sheikh Yassin "the godfather of suicide bombers."

/// SHALOM ACT ///

Sheikh Yassin was the leader of a terrorist organization, a terrorist organization that has a very extreme ideology to destroy the state of Israel and to kill its people. Hamas, al-Qaida, Hezbollah, all of them are extreme organizations that would like to implement their ideology to fight all of those societies and countries that have values of freedom, democracy and human rights.

/// END ACT ///

U-S National Security Advisor Condolezza Rice says there was no coordination between Israel and the United States on the killing of the Hamas leader.

Ms. Rice called for calm in the Middle East.

/// RICE ACT ///

Let's remember that Hamas is a terrorist organization and that Sheikh Yassin was himself, personally, we believe involved in terrorist planning. But, of course, the United States did not have advance warning. The fact is it is very important that everyone step back and try now to be calm in the region. There is always a possibility of a better day in the Middle East.

/// END ACT ///

Palestinian Authority officials called the killing a "dangerous and cowardly" act. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat declared three days of mourning for the Hamas leader.

Palestinian Cabinet Minister Ghassan Khatib says Sheikh Yassin's killing is likely to escalate the conflict with Israel.

///KHATIB ACTUALITY///

This is another Israeli major political assassination that all the Palestinian people and their Authority condemn and look at as a crime.

///END ACTUALITY///

Many Arab countries, including Egypt, Iran, Kuwait, and Jordan denounced the attack.

Members of the European Union condemned the killing, saying in a statement it has inflamed the situation in the Middle East.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told reporters Israel has a right to defend itself, but only within the boundaries of international law.

/// STRAW ACT ///

All of us understand Israel's need to defend itself, and it is fully entitled to do that against the terrorism, which affects it within international law. But it is not entitled to go for this kind of unlawful killing, and we therefore condemn it. It is unacceptable. It is unjustified. And it is very unlikely to achieve its objectives.

/// END ACT ///

Sheikh Yassin is the most senior Palestinian leader killed during the current uprising against the Israeli occupation, which began in September 2000.

He narrowly escaped an Israeli air strike in Gaza last year.

Israel had warned that leaders of Palestinian militant groups would be targets after two suicide bombers killed ten people last week in the Israeli port city of Ashdod.

Hamas and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for those bombings. (Signed)

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