Who is Khaled Mashaal?
Prepared by Richard E. Bristol, PhD March 18, 2006
Quote of Ted Koppel Jan 7, 2005
Do all terrorist leaders go on to become revered statesmen? Certainly not. Just don't be surprised if, one of these days, Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal shows up at the White House for tea. Such things have happened before.
It appears Mr. Koppel was almost prophetic in his statement as Mashaal, a recognized terrorist now travels the world and visits with heads of state, yet he was never elected to any position with Hamas or the PA.
Born near Ramallah, (north of Jerusalem) in 1956, Mashaal's family relocated to Kuwait during the Israeli response to attack from their Arab neighbor states in1967. He was a Palestinian student leader at the University of Kuwait, where he graduated with a degree in Physics and eventually became a professor. With the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, he fled to Jordan, where he dedicated himself to Hamas. Since this time Jordan has issued an arrest warrant for this man who now resides in Syria.
Involved deeply in Hamas terrorist activities, on September 25, 1997 Mashaal was the target of an assassination attempt carried out by the Israeli Mossad under the direction of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his security cabinet. Ten Mossad agents carrying Canadian passports entered Jordan, where Mashaal was living, and injected him with a toxic substance. At the time of the assassination attempt Mashaal was considered Hamas' Jordanian branch chief. Jordanian authorities discovered the assassination attempt and arrested two Mossad agents who had engaged in the attempt. Jordan's King Hussein then demanded that Benjamin Netanyahu turn over the poison antidote, and at first Netanyahu refused. As the incident began to grow in political significance, however, American President Bill Clinton intervened and forced Netanyahu to turn over the antidote.
In August of 1999 Jordanian police issued an arrest warrant for Mashaal in advance of a visit to the country by then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
Mashaal's quotes show his positions as far as seeking a peaceful solution to the conflict in Israel. He will settle for nothing short of the destruction of Israel and considers all of the Palestine Mandate land to belong to "Palestinians".
“So long as our land is occupied it is the right of the Palestinian people and their factions to combine resistance and political activities.”
“We declared a ceasefire nine months ago. It will hold until the end of 2005, after which there will be a transition period towards resistance.”
“Just as Islamic Iran defends the rights of the Palestinians, we defend the rights of Islamic Iran. We are part of a united front against the enemies of Islam.”
"With respect to the challenges that we have ahead of us, Iran's role in the future of Palestine should continue and increase.”
“We will never recognize the legitimacy of the Zionist state that was established on our land.”
Mashaal will only settle for the complete elimination of the State of Israel. Any cease fire is only temporary until strong enough to "Transistion towards resistance."
There is not a political arm of Hamas and a military - terrorist arm of Hamas. As stated by Hamas officials, Political and Resistance efforts are done by the same people for the same cause.
Now when you read this name in your news coverage you will know who this Terrorist - Statesman is.
reference sites accessed for information include:
http://www.answers.com/khaled+mashal?gwp=11&ver=1.1.2.381&method=3
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/ClosingThoughts/story?id=400534
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khaled_Mashaal
http://www.palestinehistory.com/palbio35.htm
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/hamas-leaders.htm
http://www.intelligence.org.il/eng/eng_n/hamas_e.htm
