Colin Powell Expresses Regret Over Killing of Senior Hamas Official - 2003-06-22

Colin Powell, the U.S. Secretary of State, expressed regret over the killing of a senior Hamas official by Israel, stating that this action would slow down the Middle East peace process. Mr. Powell, speaking today in Jordan at the World Economic Forum, mentioned that this incident could become an obstacle to progress. During the forum, he met with other sponsors of the so-called Roadmap for Peace, including the European Union, Russia, and the United Nations, to discuss ways to advance the plan. The Palestinian militant group Hamas has vowed to take revenge for the killing of this senior official, which Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon praised as a successful operation. Israeli officials stated that Abdullah Ghawasmeh was shot and killed when soldiers attempted to arrest him in the city of Hebron in the West Bank. Palestinians claim that Israeli soldiers did not take any action to arrest him before shooting him near a mosque. A senior Hamas official stated today that the killing of Mr. Ghawasmeh would not go unpunished. Israeli officials consider Mr. Ghawasmeh to be the mastermind behind a series of Hamas suicide attacks, including a recent bombing on a bus in Jerusalem that left seventeen dead.