Israel kills head of militant Hamas

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0322/dailyUpdate.html?s=entt

The Scotsman reports that the British foreign secretary, Jack Straw,
condemned the "unlawful killing."

"All of us understand Israel's need to protect itself and it is
fully entitled to do that against the terrorism which affects it,
within international law," he said. "But it is not entitled to go in
for this kind of unlawful killing and we therefore condemn it. It is
unacceptable, it is unjustified and it is very unlikely to achieve
its objectives."
Reuters reports that other ministers from the European Union also
condemned the attack, saying it would only increase terrorism around
the world. Pravda reports that Vitaly Naumkin, the director of the
Russian Academy of Sciences Oriental Studies Institute's Center of
Arab Studies, said in an interview Monday that the greatest danger is
that moderate Palestinians will now move into the hardliners' camp.

The reaction from the Arab world was also swift. The Associated Press
reports that President Hosni Mubarak canceled a visit by Egyptian
legislators to Israel in protest. Asked about the killing's likely
impact on the peace process, Mr. Mubarak replied: "What peace
process?" King Abdullah of Jordan, who met only last week with Mr.
Sharon, called it a crime.