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New head of Hamas in Israel's sights
The Times (UK) ^ | 4/19/04 | Richard Beeston

Posted on 04/18/2004 5:04:54 PM PDT by saquin

WITHIN hours of the killing of Abdel Aziz Rantissi by the Israelis, the Palestinian militant group Hamas chose a grey-bearded and softly spoken physician to become its third leader in just under four bloody weeks in the Gaza Strip.

The appointment of Dr Mahmoud Zahar, 53, was kept secret as he joined tens of thousands of Palestinians at the funeral of Dr Rantissi.

Dr Zahar is married with children. He was for years best known as a working doctor and the personal physician of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Hamas’s spiritual leader, who was killed in an Israeli missile attack last month.

But in a secret selection process Dr Zahar was chosen to lead the organisation in Gaza, its birthplace and main support base.

The announcement was kept secret, but Palestinian, Israeli and Western sources quickly confirmed that the Egyptian-educated doctor had assumed the leadership — and with it an automatic place at the top of Israel’s hit list.

“There were no real other candidates for the leadership in Gaza,” a Western diplomat said. “Most of them have been killed. Not surprisingly Hamas is not going to make the announcement public.”

Dr Zahar was certainly not intimidated yesterday when he joined 70,000 Hamas mourners paying their last respects to Dr Rantissi, who died on Saturday night when the car he was travelling in was hit by a missile fired from an Israeli helicopter gunship.

“You can see (the future of) the movement in the sea of people here today,” said Dr Zahar, who last year survived an Israeli assassination attempt that killed his son. “We are committed to the policy of resistance and we cannot be swayed. Hamas cannot be defeated. Hamas cannot be broken.”

That defiance was being challenged in Israel last night. After Sheikh Yassin’s death, Hamas warned Israel that it had opened “the gates of hell”, and after Dr Rantissi’s assassination the group vowed a “volcano of revenge”.

But so far the organisation responsible for pioneering suicide bombings against Israeli civilians has failed to strike back, and Israeli security officials believe its “decapitation” policy is working.

“The rest of the leadership are on the run. When they’re fleeing they can’t organise or perpetrate terrorist acts,” said a spokesman for Ariel Sharon, the Prime Minister. “We knew these targeted assassinations are not going to dismantle Hamas, but when the leaders spend more time on their protection or hiding out they lose their ability to operate.”

Despite international outrage at Dr Rantissi’s killing, Mr Sharon told cabinet colleagues he planned to continue striking terrorist organisations and their leaders. Ministers said that included Khaled Meshaal, Hamas’s external leader in Damascus, “the minute we have operational ability to do this”.

Killing Sheikh Yassin was easy as he followed the same routine each day. After assuming the leadership Dr Rantissi lived largely underground, appearing only when protected by crowds, but survived less than a month before the Israelis got him.

The outlook for Dr Zahar appears bleak. He has few places to hide from the prying eyes and ears of Israeli intelligence. Although Gaza’s narrow strip of land is teeming with more than a million Palestinians, the Israelis have built up an extensive network of informants who monitor the movements of key figures.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: hamas; israel; mahmoudzahar; muslims; next; rantisi; zahar; zionist
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To: DigitalVideoDude
You beat me to it.
21 posted on 04/18/2004 5:27:42 PM PDT by GEC
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To: saquin

22 posted on 04/18/2004 5:28:15 PM PDT by Pan_Yan (Unemployed people should forfeit their right to vote.)
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To: vp_cal
Hamas has to be wondering now if there isn't some kind of Mossad mole in their leadership who is selling them out.

I hope there is.
23 posted on 04/18/2004 5:29:52 PM PDT by GEC
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To: saquin
We already know his identity? Told y'all a "secret" doesn't stay a secret for long in the Middle East, lol. This isn't the kind of job any normal person wants, unless one plans to dodge missles the rest of their life and seek a rendezvous with 72 virgins in the afterlife!
24 posted on 04/18/2004 5:34:12 PM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: saquin
As someone said on a thread yesterday, his nickname will now be "Short Straw".
25 posted on 04/18/2004 5:34:23 PM PDT by AsYouAre
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To: saquin
We already know his identity? Told y'all a "secret" doesn't stay a secret for long in the Middle East, lol. This isn't the kind of job any normal person wants, unless one plans to dodge missles the rest of their life and seek a rendezvous with 72 virgins in the afterlife!
26 posted on 04/18/2004 5:34:46 PM PDT by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives On In My Heart Forever)
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To: RightWhale
I give them a week or two
27 posted on 04/18/2004 5:35:17 PM PDT by dila813
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To: GEC
Hamas has to be wondering now if there isn't some kind of Mossad mole in their leadership who is selling them out.

I hope there is.


28 posted on 04/18/2004 5:38:32 PM PDT by Slings and Arrows (Am Yisrael Chai!)
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To: jimbo123
Says it all:

Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar smiles from his hospital bed in Gaza City on Wednesday. An Israeli warplane narrowly failed in an attempt to assassinate Zahar but killed his son...

29 posted on 04/18/2004 5:39:38 PM PDT by null and void
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To: saquin

30 posted on 04/18/2004 5:43:10 PM PDT by Smartass (BUSH & CHENEY 2004 - THE BEST GET BETTER)
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To: saquin
Australian media reporting it is Khaled Mashaal who has emerged as Hamas new leader.

Why do I think that these top Hamas guys are just wishing the media would STFU!! LOL!!

Prairie

31 posted on 04/18/2004 5:44:23 PM PDT by prairiebreeze (What did Jamie Gorelick know, and when did she know it?? Speak up you feckless lawyer!)
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To: saquin
Someone start the Dead Pool.
32 posted on 04/18/2004 5:44:29 PM PDT by Guillermo ("Oh yeah? Well if you do it again, I'm gonna have only one word for you: 'Outta here.'" - Paul Sr.)
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To: GEC
I'm sure there are moles all over Hamas, but, for them to hide the identity of their new leader would show that they're scared of Israel.

They wanted this new goy to be made public for a reason.
33 posted on 04/18/2004 5:47:26 PM PDT by Guillermo ("Oh yeah? Well if you do it again, I'm gonna have only one word for you: 'Outta here.'" - Paul Sr.)
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To: saquin
But in a secret selection process Dr Zahar was chosen ...

Damn, he got the short straw.

The doctor's life expectancy is now in question. As it should be.

5.56mm

34 posted on 04/18/2004 5:48:25 PM PDT by M Kehoe
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To: saquin
That defiance was being challenged in Israel last night. After Sheikh Yassin’s death, Hamas warned Israel that it had opened “the gates of hell”, and after Dr Rantissi’s assassination the group vowed a “volcano of revenge”.

Oh, goodness! This sounds bad! And after Zahar buys it, what's next? A "whirlpool of woe"? A "traffic circle of trauma"?

35 posted on 04/18/2004 5:48:37 PM PDT by rogue yam
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To: saquin; SJackson; yonif; Simcha7; American in Israel; spectacularbid2003; Binyamin; Taiwan Bocks; ..
Dr. Mahmoud "Short Straw" Zahar is the new head of HAMAS. Apparently we are supposed to play along that this is a big secret, so make sure you fall in line. It's one of those new warped political games we play, like "Islam is a religion of peace," and "Arafat is the legitimate elected leader of the "Palistinian" people and a recognized statesman."

Get the picture?  !






If you'd like to be on or off this
Christian Supporters of Israel ping list,
please FR mail me. ~
  -  -
There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had
spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass. (Joshua 21:45)

Letter To The President In Support Of Israel ~
'Final Solution,' Phase 2 ~
Warnings ~

36 posted on 04/18/2004 5:49:51 PM PDT by Salem (FREE REPUBLIC - Fighting to win within the Arena of the War of Ideas! So get in the fight!)
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To: rogue yam
A "brutal Afghan winter"? A "QUAGMIRE"!!!!
37 posted on 04/18/2004 5:50:30 PM PDT by rogue yam
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To: rogue yam
"A heartbreak of psoriasis," too!
38 posted on 04/18/2004 5:51:53 PM PDT by MarineDad
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To: rogue yam
A "cyclone of seriesness"
39 posted on 04/18/2004 5:57:02 PM PDT by davetex
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To: saquin
Good Hunting Israel!
40 posted on 04/18/2004 5:57:04 PM PDT by MNJohnnie (Vote Bush 2004-We have the solutions, Kerry Democrats? Nothing but slogans)
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