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Ahmed Jabari

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Ahmed Said Khalil al Jaabari
أحمد الجعبري
File:Ahmed Jabari.jpg
Born
Gaza City, Gaza Strip
Died14 November 2012 (2012-11-15)
Gaza City
Cause of deathFire
NationalityPalestinian
Alma materIslamic University of Gaza
Known for2006 Hamas cross-border raid
Military career
Allegiance Palestine (Hamas)
Service / branchFile:Alqassam.jpg Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades
Battles / warsSecond Intifada

Ahmed Said Khalil al Jaabari (Template:Lang-ar; ? – 14 November 2012) (sometimes written as Jabari or Ja'bari or Ja'abari) was a Palestinian political activist and the second-in-command of the military wing of Hamas. He was credited as the leader in the takeover of the Gaza Strip by Hamas,[1] leading the firing of Qassam rockets into Israel,[citation needed] and played a role in the capture of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.[1]

While at the Islamic University of Gaza, Jaabari joined Fatah, which advocated armed struggle against Israel. In 1982, he was arrested by the Israeli authorities and imprisoned for 13 years. After being released he joined Fatah's Islamist rival Hamas' militant wing and was believed to have been involved in the bombing of a school bus in Kfar Darom, following which he was arrested by the Preventive Security Force of the Palestinian Authority in 1998, being released the following year. In 2002, Jabari became the operational head of Hamas' militant wing following the retirement of Mohammad Deif. In this position; Jabari was also a high-ranking official within Hamas' political leadership, as well as the founder of the Nur Association, which aimed to help "martyrs and prisoners."[2] He state in 2005 that "Jihad and resistance" were the "only ways to liberate the homeland, and not negotiation and bargains."[3]

The Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet conducted a targeted air strike on 14 November 2012, a part of Operation Pillar of Cloud, killing Jaabari and his son while they were travelling in a car.[4][5] Jaabari was the highest-level Hamas official killed in Gaza since Israel's offensive in 2008.[6]

Early life and education

Jaabari was born to a family based in the Shuja'iyya district of Gaza City. He graduated from Gaza's Islamic University with a degree in history. In 1982, Jaabari was arrested and imprisoned by Israeli authorities when he was a member of the secular Palestinian militant organization Fatah. According to Al Arabiya, while serving 13 years in prison, he left Fatah and joined Hamas after meeting with some of the latter's founders who were also incarcerated at the time, namely Abd al-Aziz Rantissi, Nizar Rayyan and Salah Shehadeh. He later married Shehadeh's daughter, one of his two wives.[2]

Hamas

Due to his involvement with Hamas's military activities in the Gaza Strip, Jaabari was arrested by the Preventive Security Force of the Palestinian Authority in October 1998 for aiding an attack on a school bus in the settlement of Kfar Darom, according to the Times of Israel.[7] He was released in late 1999.

In 2002, after an Israeli airstrike wounded Mohammed Deif, the leader of Hamas's principal armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Jaabari became the operational head of the militant wing at the height of the Second Intifada (the armed Palestinian uprising against Israel from 2000–2007).[1] However, Deif remains its official head. According to Hamas political leader Ayman Taha, since Jaabari took over the al-Qassam Brigades' day-to-day operations, Hamas's armed wing became increasingly professional. In 2004, Jaabari's eldest son Mohammed, his brother and three of his cousins were killed in an Israeli air strike against Jaabari's home in an apparent assassination attempt against him.[2]

Jaabari played the leading role in Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip from the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority in June 2007.[5][2][8] During Israel's offensive Operation Cast Lead against the Gaza Strip in December 2008, Jaabari's home was allegedly destroyed in an airstrike, but the circumstances surrounding the incident were unclear.[9] In September 2010, Jaabari threatened to increase attacks against Israel to derail the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations: "With the power of faith, weapons and missiles, tunnels and commandos we will achieve victory for Palestine and we'll end the occupation in Gaza too."[10]

Jaabari was in charge of overseeing the imprisonment of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit who was kidnapped by Palestinian militants in 2006 outside of the Gaza Strip; two other soldiers were killed.[11] When a prisoners-exchange was arranged handing back Shalit to Israel in return for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in October 2011, Jaabari personally escorted Shalit to the Rafah Crossing with Egypt, making a rare public appearance.[5] Abu Hudaifa, a close confidante, noted that Jabari "followed the mission until the end in minute detail by himself."[2] In an interview with al-Hayat newspaper, Jaabari allegedly confirmed that most of the 477 prisoners released in the first part of the prisoner exchange were collectively responsible for the deaths of 569 Israeli civilians.[12][13]

Jaabari stated in an interview with Reuters that "Jihad and resistance are the only ways to liberate the homeland, and not negotiation and bargains."[3]

Death

Main article: Operation Pillar of Cloud

Jaabari was cautious with his personal safety, rarely making public appearances.[2] On 14 November 2012, Jaabari was killed by an Israeli military strike while driving in Gaza City. His bodyguard, Mohammed al Hams, who was traveling with him, was also killed. Five other people, including two children, were also killed in the Gaza Strip in Israeli air strikes following Jaabari's death.[5] The attack, which was a joint operation by Shin Bet and the IDF,[14] came amid retaliatory strikes after the firing of over 100 rockets from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel and Israeli air strikes against targets in Gaza over a four-day period.[15][14][16][4] According to Hamas, five other people, including two girls, were also killed in the Gaza Strip in around 20 Israeli air strikes immediately following Jaabari's death.[14]

Jaabari was buried in a cemetery in Gaza City on 15 November 2012.[17]

Reactions

Hamas' Lebanon representative leader Osama Hamdan said that it was likely Israel was targeting the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades asserted that the Israeli "occupation has opened the doors of hell." Other militant factions, such as the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also denounced the killing of Jabari and vowed retaliation.[5] The PIJ said it would "respond fiercely" to Jabari's death, calling it an "act of war."[18] The Palestinian Authority's lead negotiator Saeb Erekat, condemned the "Israeli crime and assassination of Jaabari." Angry protests erupted around the Shifa Hospital, where Jaabari was taken, following news of his death, with members of Hamas demanding retaliation.[14][15]

Egypt recalled its ambassador to Israel in protest of the attacks on the Gaza Strip and the killing of Jaabari.[19] According to a foreign ministry statement, Foreign Minister Kamel Amr "condemned the series of air strikes that Israel is currently conducting against Gaza Strip and which led to the killing of Ahmed al-Jabari."[15] Qatari Foreign Minister Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani stated: "I condemn [the killing] in the name of Qatar... This filthy crime must not pass without a punishment." He also called on the UN Security Council to "preserve the peace and security in the world."[20] During consultations about the Israeli airstrikes, U.S. President Barack Obama and Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi agreed to work together to de-escalate the situation before it amplifies.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Hamas Terrorist Ahmed Jabari". Consulate General of Israel in New York. 15 November 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Shalit swap brings shadowy Hamas man to the fore". Al-Arabiya. 4 November 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Slain Hamas boss, scourge of Israel, was dead man walking". Yahoo News. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  4. ^ a b Levy, Elior (14 November 2012). "IDF kills top Hamas commander". Ynet News. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Kershner, Isabel; Fares Akram (15 November 2012). "Israeli Assault Into Gaza Kills A Hamas Leader". The New York Times. pp. 11/15/12 N.Y. Times A1. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help)
  6. ^ "Israel Intensifies Gaza Air Strikes". Voice of America. 15 November 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  7. ^ Winer, Stuart. "Ahmed Jabari: The ruthless terror chief whose bloody end was only a matter of time". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  8. ^ Issacharoff, Avi (2 July 2007). "Hamas fires Qassams for first time since Gaza takeover". Haaretz. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
  9. ^ "Israel is 'nearing Gaza goals'". BBC News. 11 January 2009. Retrieved 14 January 2009.
  10. ^ Rockets, mortars fired at southern Israel. United Press International. 15 September 2010.
  11. ^ "Hamas military chief Ahmed Jabari killed by Israeli strike". Haaretz. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  12. ^ "Profile of a terrorist: Ahmed Jabari". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  13. ^ Issacharoff, Avi (20 October 2011). "Shalit's captors: He wasn't tortured, he received medical care and watched TV". Haaretz.
  14. ^ a b c d "Hamas military chief killed in Israeli attack - Middle East". Al Jazeera English. 4 October 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  15. ^ a b c "BBC News - Israeli air strike kills Hamas military chief Jabari". Bbc.co.uk. 1 January 1970. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  16. ^ "Israeli air strike kills top Hamas commander Jabari". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  17. ^ "Hamas remain defiant as Israeli strikes hit Gaza". Euronews. 15 November 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  18. ^ Armed groups vow response to assassination of Hamas leader. Ma'an News Agency. 14 November 2012.
  19. ^ "Egypt recalls ambassador from Israel over Gaza attacks". Maan News. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  20. ^ "Qatar wants Israel punished for Gaza attacks". Reuters. Retrieved 15 November 2012.

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