A top Israeli lawmaker proposed that political leaders of Hamas be marked for assassination.
Tzahi Hanegbi, a senior member of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s Kadima party and the chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said Tuesday that Hamas’ apparent return to the tactic of suicide bombing put its politicians in the firing line.
Hamas’ armed wing said it carried out Monday’s bombing in Dimona, though Israeli officials did not immediately confirm the claim.
“There’s no difference between those who wear a suicide suit and a diplomat’s suit,” Hanegbi told Israel Radio. “We should exact the full price not only from the sundry squads in the field but also from those who dispatch them.”
“The Israeli government should also change its policy and we should no longer allow Hamas’ leadership to enjoy immunity.”
Israel assassinated Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin and its top Gaza politician, Abdel Aziz Rantissi, in 2004 but has since largely limited its airstrikes to armed terrorists.
The Israeli government has not indicated that policy is about to change, possibly because it is in the midst of Egyptian-mediated talks with Hamas on the return of a soldier held captive in Gaza.
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