DATE=04/06/2002

TYPE=EDITORIAL

NUMBER=0-09806

TITLE=EDITORIAL: MORE AND MORE TERROR BY HAMAS

INTERNET=YES

CONTENT=THIS EDITORIAL IS BEING RELEASED FOR USE BY ALL SERVICES. PLEASE NOTE CHANGES IN INTRODUCTION AND ENDING.

Anncr: Next, President George W. Bush speaks out on the crisis in the Middle East.

Voice: As President George W. Bush said on April 4th, "All who care about the Palestinian people should join in condemning and acting against groups like Al-Aqsa, Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and all groups which oppose the peace process and seek the destruction of Israel."

In the wave of suicide bombings that have hit Israel in recent weeks, some of the most deadly have been perpetrated by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. An attack by Hamas on March 27th at a hotel in Netanya killed twenty-six Israelis as they were gathering for Passover. An attack on March 31st, at a Haifa restaurant, killed fifteen -- including Israeli Arabs. Hamas was also responsible for a suicide bombing last June that killed twenty-two young Israelis at a Tel Aviv disco.

As President Bush has pointed out, "Hamas is an extremist group that calls for the total destruction of Israel. It is one of the deadliest terrorist organizations in the world today."

Hamas was formed in 1987. Its goal is to establish an extremist Muslim state in place of Israel. Hamas receives funding from Palestinian expatriates, the government of Iran, and individuals in Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries. It has also conducted fundraising in Europe and the United States.

In December, the U.S. froze the assets of some of the groups raising money for Hamas. One is the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development. This group masquerades as a charity. But in fact, as President Bush pointed out, "Money raised by the Holy Land Foundation is used by Hamas to support schools that indoctrinate children to grow up into suicide bombers."

After the September 11th suicide attacks on America, most countries expressed solidarity with the U.S. in its war against terrorism. Now, as President Bush said, "All states must keep their promise, made in a vote in the United Nations, to actively oppose terror in all its forms. No nation can pick and choose its terrorist friends."

Mr. Bush called "on the Palestinian Authority and all governments in [the Middle East] to do everything in their power to stop terrorist activities, to disrupt terrorist financing, and to stop inciting violence by glorifying terror in state-owned media, or telling suicide bombers they are martyrs. They're not martyrs," said President Bush. "They're murderers. And they undermine the cause of the Palestinian people."

Anncr: President George W. Bush spoke out on the Middle East crisis on April 4th. If you have a comment, please write to Editorials, V-O-A, Washington, D-C, 20237, U-S-A. You may also comment at www-dot-ibb-dot-gov-slash-editorials, or fax us at (202) 619-1043.