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Israel-Palestine | ||
Iran’s Prize? | ||
2004-04-02 | ||
Yassin’s death opens door to Iran control Within a week of Yassin’s death, Hamas already has been wracked over who will lead the organization and where will the money come from. The feud within the normally united organization pits Yassin’s chief aide, Abdul Aziz Rantissi, against Khaled Mashaal. Both claim leadership within the organization and both are seeking outside support.
Yassin’s strength was in raising money. In the 1960s, he started his Islamic proselytizing in the Gaza Strip to stem the spread of Western values. He opened a mosque and began receiving money from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council states.
Now, Yassin’s death is seen as an opportunity for Iran to move into the vacuum. Control over a Sunni Muslim group would be a huge feather in Teheran’s cap and could help target Washington’s allies in the Middle East. "The biggest issue of the Islamic world today is the martyrdom of Sheik Ahmed Yassin," said Iran’s Ayatollah Mohammed Imami Kishani, a prominent cleric. Masha’al’s support comes mainly from Qatar, whose ruling sheiks have provided Hamas with safe haven as well as millions of dollars. Qatar also has lobbied for Masha’al with Arab countries, the United States and Europe. Rantisi doesn’t have such a powerful Arab ally. Indeed, his rhetoric and bloody attacks have alarmed Saudi Arabia, the biggest supporter of Hamas. Rantisi has made enemies in the Palestinian Authority and is regarded as a serious threat to chairman Yasser Arafat. Arafat has responded subtly by curtailing Hamas’s revenue streams. Arafat has refused to unfreeze 39 bank accounts linked to Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Last week, the Palestinian High Court ordered the unfreezing of the accounts of nine Hamas-aligned charities said to have funded terrorist groups. In August 2003, the PA froze 39 accounts – including those of Al Jamiya Al Islamiya, A-Salah, Islamic Young Womens Association, Social Care Committee, Islamic Charity for Zakat and Al Aqsa Charity Association – under pressure from the United States. Palestinian sources and analysts said the tens of millions of dollars relayed by the Saudi kingdom every year to Hamas stem from the close ties of the royal family to Yassin. Saudi rulers will find it harder to deal with either Rantisi or Masha’al, they said. And that’s where Iran comes in. | ||
Posted by:incredulous |
#2 Meh! Just one more reason why deposing Iran's government or trashing their nascent nuclear weapons program (whichever comes first) was of higher priority than invading Iraq. Oh yeah, and drilling Rantisi like an Arabian oil well. |
Posted by: Zenster 2004-04-02 6:23:48 PM |
#1 Methinks Rent-a-Sissy will be pushing up daisies pretty soon... |
Posted by: steve d. 2004-04-02 8:43:54 AM |