NBC: Last week there was a suicide
bomber attack in Tel Aviv. The bomber was representing your organization.
Was that a legitimate target for an attack by a member of Hamas?
Sheik
Yassin: Of course our principles and our policy are not to hurt civilians
and innocents. This operation came as a reaction to the Israeli Army crimes
inflicted on the Palestinian towns and villages, where they killed civilians,
old men, women and children.
They
collapsed houses over their inhabitants in the Jenin refugee camp. It is
human nature to take revenge for the destruction of houses and random killing.
Everyone had this reaction to the Israeli aggression.
Since that attack, many members
of your Hamas organization have been arrested by the Palestinian Authority.
Do you think those people should be in jail?
Prisons
should not be for those who are defending themselves. The man who is defending
himself against the aggression should be blessed or have respect. The prisons
should be for the criminal, the aggressor, the occupier ... who occupied
the lands of others, who collapsed houses on the heads of the inhabitants
— old people, women and children — using airplanes and tanks. That is who
should be in prison.
SUICIDE ATTACKS?
Do you think it is necessary for more people to die, Israelis and Palestinians,
to bring about a Palestinian state?
We
are calling for peace and we want peace, but the peace that would give
us our rights, our land, our home and to bring back our nation to its homeland.
The peace which takes from me my home and my land is not peace ... that
is surrender. For the sake of peace the Israeli enemy should give the Palestinian
rights and ... withdraw his army and occupation from the Palestinian people.
[Then] the killing and the bloodshed will finish
Many members of your organization
— and I see many of their pictures on the wall around here — are very young
people who have died for the cause that Hamas believes in. Do you regret
those deaths?
I
ask you a question: If you find yourself in your land occupied, you would
believe in your nation’s right to defend themselves?
So you do not regret it, because
they are people who fought for what you do believe? Is that correct?
Even
an animal defends himself. The animal when he is attacked, he is defending
himself, the bird when his kids are attacked, he is defending himself,
the human which his land and homeland occupied, he would defend himself.
Does
it need more words to say that a human should defend himself or not? He
would be forced to defend himself.
Is
martyring oneself in a suicide attack the only way to achieve the state
of Palestine that you envision?
No,
no that’s not right. First of all, these operations are martyrdom, not
suicide; secondly we are in front of an enemy who is fighting us with all
means he has: F-16s, Cobra, Apaches [helicopters], missiles, tanks. He
has resources of power.
We
are unarmed people, we have no forces, and our forces are very old and
simple resources — a rifle, a grenade — so what are we going to do? The
biggest force we do have is that one of us is going to be a martyr to defend
himself. So the martyrdom is not only one direction, it is a way for us
to defend ourselves and usually it is used in [at] necessary times and
not anytime.
When
the Israeli enemy implemented a massacre against the Palestinian people
and destruction against the Palestinian people then those means are used,
as when they used the F-16s in certain times, but it isn’t used all the
time.
LISTENING TO ARAFAT
You are the spiritual leader of Hamas. The members of Hamas listen to what
you say and they act on what you say. Yasser Arafat has demanded that organizations
like Hamas stop their military activities. Will you obey that command of
Arafat, or will you tell the members of your organization to continue with
their strikes against Israel?
We
stated our opinion clearly: that what is asked of Arafat is to erase the
occupation and the aggression on our people and land. And then we will
not need to fight. But to ask me to stop defending myself while the Israeli
occupation aggression and settlements is going on means that you ask me
to die and to surrender, and this is refused.
You
are saying that Hamas will continue its activities against Israelis?
The
point here is that there is occupation, and as long as there is occupation,
there is army against our people [and] then there should be resistance
against it ...We are not ready to surrender to the occupation and we will
resist against [Israel].
Does
that include the use of suicide bombers?
The
martyrdom operations are used to defend ourselves and, as I mentioned,
it’s only happened when it is necessary. When we realize that this occupation
... implemented against us [includes] what is forbidden internationally,
like attacking civilians and the bloodshed of innocents, we will use against
him action for action. Now the ball is in the court of the Israeli; if
he stops hurting the Palestinian civilians, our movement will not hurt
civilians on the other side.
So
you will continue your attacks on Israel and the Israeli people even if
that means that you will in return get more incursions, perhaps even here
in Gaza?
What
is asked here is to raise the white flags? Or is it asked for the Israeli
occupation to stop its aggression is to withdraw his army?
STANCE ON ‘OCCUPATION’
Can I just clarify one thing when you say “occupation”? How do you define
occupation? Do you mean the presence of troops in Jerusalem or do you mean
occupation within Palestinian territories?
We
consider all of our homeland is occupied, but regarding the international
position, I would accept that, in the first stage, that the Israelis leave
the West Bank and Gaza.
I just want to clarify it because
it is very important, as the present occupation stands the Israeli forces
are [holding their positions]. Will you instruct the Hamas members to continue
that intifada — whatever the cost — given the current state of the Israeli
forces’ position?
When
it happens we will sit on the table and we will decide according to the
circumstances. We make our decisions according to the new reality.Maybe
they will not give us our rights, maybe they will not withdraw, maybe settlements
will go on. According to the circumstances we will make our decisions.
But
for the time being you will continue?
As
long as the occupation exists, we will continue.
Are
you concerned for your safety given that there are Israeli tanks just 10
miles from where we are seating?
Safety
is not from the tanks, it is from God. The one who has the faith always
feeling secure and is not afraid of tanks or airplanes.
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