Israelis ‘back more assassinations’

More than two-thirds of Israelis are in favour of the continuation of “targeted killing operations” after the assassination of Hamas spiritual chief Shaikh Ahmad Yasin, a poll has found.

Shaikh Ahmad Yasin was killed in a helicopter strike in March

A total of 74% of people questioned for the Tel Aviv University survey published on Sunday said “the targeted killing of Palestinians involved in terror against Israelis is justified from a moral standpoint”.
 
Sixty-nine per cent said that such operations should continue “because they are a necessary means of preventing or at least reducing the killing of innocent Israelis”, while only 23% said that they should stop as they often involve killing innocent Palestinians.

A total of 576 people were questioned in the survey for the university’s Tami Steinmetz Centre for Peace Research, with a 4.5% margin of error.

Yasin’s assassination two weeks ago provoked widespread condemnation and threats of revenge from Palestinian militant groups.

Israel’s assassination policy has drawn disapproval from international bodies and governments. Its closest ally, the United States, said it was “deeply troubled” by the killing of Yasin.

Source: AFP