20 Jan Israeli and Palestinian Responses to Bin Laden’s death
Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu congratulating President Obama
ISRAEL: Bin Laden’s Death a Resounding Victory for justice and freedom
Israel sees “better world” without bin Laden
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement, “This is a resounding victory for justice, freedom and the common values of all democracies that are resolutely fighting shoulder to shoulder against terrorism.”
President Shimon Peres said, “Bin Laden was one of the biggest murderers in history and he received his sentence. The world can breathe a sigh of relief at seeing the punishment he received, despite the fact that justice was late in coming.”
Hamas Gaza Strip leader Ismail Haniyeh
Hamas slams killing of ‘holy warrior’ Osama bin Laden
By Jack Khoury and Reuters
The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Monday condemned the killing by U.S. forces of Osama bin Laden and mourned him as an “Arab holy warrior.”
“We regard this as a continuation of the American policy based on oppression and the shedding of Muslim and Arab blood,” Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas administration in the Gaza Strip, told reporters.
Though he noted doctrinal differences between bin Laden’s al-Qaida and Hamas, Haniyeh said: “We condemn the assassination and the killing of an Arab holy warrior. We ask God to offer him mercy with the true believers and the martyrs.”
The Hamas-Al-Qaeda Alliance
By Jonathan Schanzer
The Weekly Standard Online
May 2, 2011
Haniyeh’s reaction underscores the ideological roots Hamas and al Qaeda share: Hamas was founded by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, a prominent Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood figure; al Qaeda was cofounded, along with bin Laden, by Abdullah Azzam, another prominent Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood figure.
But this only partially explains why Haniyeh and his ilk are now mourning the death of the most notorious terrorist in modern history. Read Complete Article
Palestinians the Most Pro-Bin Laden Group
Pew Research
In the months leading up to Osama bin Laden’s death, a survey of Muslim publics around the world found little support for the al Qaeda leader. Among the six predominantly Muslim nations recently surveyed by the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project, bin Laden received his highest level of support among Muslims in the Palestinian territories.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mourns Osama Bin Laden
By Joel B. Pollak May 2nd 2011
“This is why the United States must declare that we will veto any unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state at the UN.”
From Ha’aretz (On left)
Haniyeh’s statements recall the grotesque celebrations that erupted spontaneously among Palestinians on 9/11.
In the wake of that embarrassment, then-Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat made a highly publicized blood donation–which turned out to be fake.
And though another Palestinian Authority spokesman welcomed bin Laden’s death, the fact is that the Palestinian leadership as a whole now owns Haniyeh’s statements, thanks to last week’s Hamas-Fatah unity government agreement.
Congress should follow Sen. Marco Rubio’s suggestion, and act immediately to cut off funds to the Palestinian Authority:
Participation in a Palestinian government of any organization, such as Hamas, that fails to renounce their calls for the destruction of Israel and the use of violence should prompt the withdrawal of our assistance. No American taxpayer money should fund a government that includes a terrorist organization dedicated to the murder of innocent civilians.
Furthermore, the administration should ignore the likes of J Street, which supports negotiations with Hamas (not just after Hamas drops violence, as if that were possible, but even today, as long as talks are “unofficial” and “indirect”).
