New Target: Abdel Aziz Rantissi

Hamas Picks New Leader for Gaza Strip

Palestinian militant group Hamas has named Abdel Aziz Rantissi its new leader, following the killing of Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin, Fox News has confirmed.

The announcement was made over loudspeaker during a gathering of tens of thousands of Hamas supporters at a soccer stadium in Gaza City.

“After the assassination of the hero, the martyr Ahmed Yassin, a secret election was held … in which Dr. Abdel Aziz Rantisi was chosen as the new leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement,” a senior Hamas official, Ismail Hanieh, told the crowd.

Rantissi, who has been the group’s chief spokesman, will have oversight of the Gaza Strip. But he will not be in control of the West Bank, a Hamas official told Reuters.

Gaza’s not that big a place. He should be findable.

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. BigFire says:

    One thing I’ve already learn about this new target is that when traveling in the open, he likes to be surrounded by civilians, so attempt at promoting him to the next life will have to be done more selectively.

  2. ted says:

    He is going to have a big problem getting insurance his premiums are rising.

  3. Paul says:

    Israel really can make this simple:

    Step 1: Wait for the very first Hamas suicide bomber.

    Step 2: When it happens, the new guy eats a missile.

    Step 3: Repeat steps 1 and 2 until Step 1 never happens.

    Anything less that that is a waste of human lives.

  4. mark says:

    Why wait for a suicide bombing, Paul? Just get him now. And when they appoint a new leader, strike him as well. Repeat as necessary.

  5. Ron says:

    I’m wondering how excited Rantissi is about his new job.

  6. Boyd says:

    One rationale for doing it Paul’s way, Mark, is that gives them an opportunity to install a leader who wants to stop the cycle of violence. Your way, you might as well wipe out the whole organization at once, since you’ll eventually extinguish the population.

    Of course, until they put that “pacification” leader in place, you’re condemning someone to die at the hand of the suicide bomber, and you don’t know how many cycles it’s going to take.

    As many have said before, it’s a no-win situation.

  7. Azem Heljic says:

    Do you see what you are? I see you as mutch fanatics as suicide bomber is. Suicide bomber have no internet to empty his frustration, to ease his grief, powerty.. you have money, media, you have WMD.. you are overjoyed by evry dead palestinian and you are talking about democracy? how disgust you are.

  8. Norma deCamp says:

    Hamas leaders spoke these words after this assasination. “You have opened the gates of hell”

    No one but God knows how true these words are. Revelation 13 and 17 are coming in fast and strong. watch for an enormous apiritualistic event that will shock the world, and watch for a counterfeit resurrection. the eighth is about to become the seventh head. but he will be be opposite of who he claims to be.