Hamas leader Sheikh Hasan Yusef released

Jerusalem Post ^ | 11-18-04 | MATTHEW GUTMAN

[SJackson]

"No cease-fire without prisoners release," Yusuf said upon leaving jail.

"It is impossible to have a cease-fire if the issue of prisoners is not solved," said Sheikh Hasan Yusef, head of the Hamas political bureau in Ramallah, a short hour after he was released from Ofer prison, where he was held in administrative detention for 22 months.

An IDF undercover unit raided a house in Ramallah and arrested Yusef together with two of his bodyguards in August 2002.

Speaking with reporters on Thursday afternoon just outside the prison facility, near the Palestinian village of Betuniya, Yusef said, "We must not forget the issue of the detainees." When asked which prisoners he was referring to, he replied "all of them."

Yusef also addressed the issue of the upcoming elections for PA chairman. He said, "Elections can only work if they are comprehensive," echoing recent calls by Hamas to hold general elections for the other Palestinian Authority governmental bodies as well on January 9. Hamas has called for municipal and legislative council elections to be held in addition to the presidential election.

Yusef said he supported the recent meetings between PLO head Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas but said that Palestinians could only succeed with a united stance.

Abbas met recently with Hamas and Islamic Jihad to discuss the upcoming PA elections and a cease-fire with Israel until January 9.

In talks since former PA chairman Yasser Arafat died last week, Abbas and PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei have quietly rejected Hamas's demand for a slice of the political pie.

Yusuf, 49, was on Israel's wanted list since the beginning of the intifada. With the outbreak of violence four years ago, he called on the Palestinian public on a number of occasions to embark on a violent struggle against Israel and continue launching suicide bomb attacks until the Palestinian people realize their dream.

In 1988, he was arrested several times by Israeli security forces due to his membership in the Hamas and at the time admitted to recruiting activists and transferring sums of money to fund terror operations.

In 1992, he was deported to Lebanon but returned to the West Bank a year later. Since then he was arrested a number of times by security forces, but later released.

[Diogenesis]

No one will beat terrorism by letting the terrorists go.

Israel should have taken out Arafat decades ago.
Now, SSDD.

[Militiaman7]

A really stupid move by Israel's government.

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

[dc-zoo]

These Israeli politicos really are gluttons for punishment.

[Patton@Bastogne]

.


Militiaman7,


A really stupid move by Israel's government.



Actually, it's operationally brilliant. Let's look at the reasons:


1) Everyone (including Hamas terrorists) are surprised by his release under these peculiar cicumstances, immediately after Arafat's death.


2) NO ONE will trust him, thinking he's an Israeli double-agent


3) Therefore, either Hamas executes him as a security risk, or Hamas keeps him permanently assigned to "laundry duties"


4) To demonstrate his loyalty to Hamas, Yusef will be requested to destroy (murder) other competing Palestinan terrorist targets.


5) This will help ignite the twenty-year Palestinian Bloodletting that's been waiting to happen ...


6) The Intifadia (sp) will turn on itself, and using their own (excellent) intel on each other, they'll anniliate themselves, at their own hands, until most of the lunatics are room-temperature.



Israel wins big, without firing a shot, while covertly supplying each warring Palestinian faction with plenton of guns and ammunition.




Patton@Bastogne



.

[bert]

Illustrative of the need to exterminate enemies. Rats released from traps still carry fleas and plague.

[Militiaman7]

Hope you are right.

[sheik yerbouty]

I'll bet they have a tracking chip on him somewhere..

[Max Combined]

Now they can blow him up with a missile.

[SunkenCiv]

Well put, imho.

[paulcissa]

Now they can blow him up with a missile.

You read my mind....

[reagan_fanatic]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. This guy's a human bullseye. Hope he's prepared to meet allah.

[rang1995]

real stupid unless he's been turned

[M Kehoe]

5) This will help ignite the twenty-year Palestinian Bloodletting that's been waiting to happen ...

To the various factions in the PLO, power is all they seek. Hamas, et. al. seek not the will of the Palestinian people. The coming uncivil war will be the catalysis that propels an eighth century culture into the 21st century. Then peace may be possible.

[Fingers crossed]

5.56mm