Summary
Palestinian (1966–1996) held by Israel responsible for several Hamas suicide attacks in 1994 and 1995 and killed by the Shin Bet in the Gaza Strip on January 6, 1996 on the orders of Shimon Peres, in the account of Zionist Israel and the Question of Palestine (Zionist Israel and the Question of Palestine, PDF p.147 / printed p.138).
Details
- Avi Shlaim ascribes the killing to Chief of Shin Bet Carmi Gilon wanting to end his term with a “spectacular gesture”, and to diverting attention from the security gaps that had allowed the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin on November 4, 1995 (PDF p.147).
- Shlaim surmises two motives for Peres: the retaliation as “tough justice”, and acting “in the service of the morality of the nation and of the security forces” (PDF p.148).
- Peres told Robert Littell the killing was a preemptive strike: “Ayyash was actively preparing another attack. It wasn’t a matter of revenge. The decision to liquidate him prevented this terrorist attack” (PDF p.148).
- Hamas declared Ayyash a martyr, and in February and March 1996 sixty Israelis were killed and many more injured in Hamas suicide attacks in Jerusalem, Ashkelon and Tel Aviv; Peres terminated peace talks with the Palestinian Autonomy Authority and ordered the closure of the borders to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank (PDF p.147-148).
Related pages
Shin Bet, Hamas, Shimon Peres, Zionist Israel and the Question of Palestine