PRESS RELEASE
The Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference condemns the assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin
and calls on the international community to intervene urgently to put an end to the butcheries perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinian people and figures
The Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Dr. Abdelouahed BelKeziz, strongly condemned the undeterred assassinations perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinian people and leadership, last of which was the murder in Gaza, early today (Monday) of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, one of the most eminent figures of Palestinian resistance. This assassination will add more and unneeded fuel to the fire of conflicts in the region.
Reaffirming the OIC’s support for the Palestinian people and leadership in their struggle for the restoration of their established rights, the Secretary-General condemns the double political discourse of the Israeli government which speaks about withdrawing from Gaza and resuming negotiations, and at the same time implements the plans of the Israeli Security Council to assassinate the symbols of the Palestinian people, and heightens the frequency of these operations against Palestinian targets. These operations are war crimes and are a clear indication of the State terrorism perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinian people outside the scope of justice and in defiance of the international conventions and treaties and the principles of the international humanitarian law.
Dr. Abdelouahed BelKeziz called on the entire international community to act diligently in order to bring to a halt the continued Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people, to prevent the Middle East from the severest swirl of violence as a result of the awkward Israeli policies. He appealed to the international community to force the Israeli government to renounce to the burnt land policies which have brought the peace process to a deadlock, and led to the construction of the segregation wall and the making of unilateral initiatives, without any respect for the totality of international and regional efforts to implement the Road Map which is still supported and advocated by all of the international parties concerned with the Mideast peace process.
On this painful occasion, the Secretary-General sent a cable to H.E. President Yassir Arafat expressing his heartfelt condolences at this great loss. He asked His Excellency to forward his sincere condolences and prayers to the family and relatives of Martyr Sheikh Ahmed Yassin that Allah Almighty may grant them patience and recompense them for their loss.
Jeddah : 22 March 2004
Document Sources: Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC)
Subject: Extrajudicial killings, Incidents
Publication Date: 22/03/2004