Posted on 09/10/2001 6:10:36 PM PDT by Nachum
JERUSALEM (September 11) - The founder of the Islamic Movement, Sheikh Abdullah Nimr Darwish, yesterday condemned the Nahariya suicide bombing.
"Until the end of my life, I will continue to condemn such acts, even if they are carried out by a Muslim imam," he told Israel Radio.
Darwish said that he has also called for the cancellation of the fatwa (religious ruling) that legitimizes suicide attacks. He noted that the ruling supports Palestinians taking their struggle to the streets and allows them to fight to the death. This, he said, is interpreted by many as being permitted to carry out suicide attacks.
Fawzi Mishlab, the head of the Abu Sinan Local Council in the Western Galilee, condemned suicide bomber Muhammad Shaker Habeishi, whom he said moved to the town three years ago from Acre. He noted that when Habeishi's identity was published he immediately sent a letter to Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer condemning his actions. He also also sent condolences to the families of the three Israelis killed in the attack.
Following an emergency council meeting yesterday, he told reporters: "We decided unanimously to condemn this criminal act. I am sure it's the act of a single man, who represented only himself."
Last November, however, seven residents of the village were arrested and charged with spying for Hizbullah guerrillas. Police said they planned to plant bombs in Israel and kidnap a soldier. Their names were not released.
Hamas yesterday issued a statement naming Habeishi as the bomber. A leaflet circulating in Jenin called Habeishi "the father of the martyrs" and said the bombing was revenge for Israel's "assassination of our leaders."
A videotape sent to Reuters showed Habeishi holding an M-16 rifle and the Koran prior to the attack. He said he was a member of Hamas.
Habeishi's sister, Nihia, confirmed that it was her brother in the video but refused to believe that he was the suicide bomber.
Police first suspected more than a week ago that Habeishi had been recruited by Hamas as a suicide bomber. On August 30, the anti-terrorist unit surrounded his two homes in Abu Sinan; Habeishi is married to two women and maintains two households. He was in the mosque at the time, spotted the police, and slipped away.
Minister without Portfolio Dan Naveh said Habeishi had linked up with bombmakers from Jenin. He said Israel asked the Palestinian Authority to arrest Habeishi, to no avail.
Secular in his youth, he became religious in the early 1980s. He joined the Islamic Movement, organizing marches and rallies. In 1996, he became the imam in the village mosque.
Meanwhile, Habeishi's son Salah, 24, was remanded yesterday for eight days by Acre Magistrates Court. He is suspected of murder, attempted murder, and illegal activities.
Police investigators told the court that they are unable to positively confirm that the suicide bomber was Habeishi until forensic tests are completed on remains from the site of the bombing.
The police statements were made despite an official Sunday statement from the Prime Minister's Office providing details of Habeishi's activities and his association with Hamas leaders in the West Bank. Salah, who has a criminal record, and his brother Ahmed were arrested in the earlier raid on Abu Sinan. They were released two days later. Judge Jamil Nasser said he was convinced that initial evidence supports the police suspicions that Salah was involved in the activities of which he is suspected. He also noted that there is insufficient evidence available to positively conclude that Salah's father was he suicide bomber, even though his ID card was found next to the dismembered body.
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