Palestinian terrorists touched off a new crisis in Israel on Sunday by apparently managing to kidnap a border policeman, whom they offered to free in exchange for the release of Sheik Ahmad Yassin, imprisoned leader of the Islamic fundamentalist Hamas movement.
The kidnapping was the climax in a series of incidents of escalating unrest as Palestinians marked the fifth anniversary of their uprising, the intifada.
The kidnapped policeman was identified as Sgt. Maj. Nissim Toledano, 29, a married father of two.
Toledano left his residence in Lod early Sunday morning and did not report to his duty at the border police headquarters there. When a search began for the missing policeman, a relative of his found and identified his skullcap.
A few hours later, two masked men reportedly left a letter at the International Red Cross office in El-Bireh, threatening to kill the policeman by 9 p.m. Sunday, unless the authorities released Sheik Yassin, who is serving a life sentence for his involvement in the kidnapping and murder of two Israeli soldiers several years ago.
A photocopy of the policeman’s credentials was attached to the letter.
In the letter, the kidnappers demanded that Yassin be released in the presence of representatives of the Red Cross as well as the ambassadors of Egypt, France and Sweden, to be televised live by Israel Television.
The letter was signed by the Iz a-Din al-Kassam terrorist group, the military wing of Hamas. The same group was believed to be responsible for attacks last week on Israeli soldiers in Gaza and Hebron.
The French ambassador to Israel said Sunday evening that he had received no request of any kind from the Israeli authorities. If such a request were to be made, he would report it to Paris.
A similar statement was made by Mohammed Basiouny, Egypt’s ambassador to Israel.
In any event, the deadline passed with no immediate word on the policeman’s fate.
The government issued a statement Sunday evening demanding the immediate release of Toledano, without any reference to the terrorists’ demands.
Police set up a special headquarters command, which reportedly staged a widespread search for the missing policeman Sunday night, as a joint effort involving the Israel Defense Force and the Shin Bet internal security service.
Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who also holds the defense portfolio, was briefing the Cabinet on the latest unrest in the territories when he was called out of the room and briefed on Toledano’s kidnapping.
In an interview from jail, Yassin told Israel Television on Sunday right that he was opposed to executing the kidnapped policeman. He suggested that the kidnappers allow for more time, “so that their demands can be met.”
However, Yassin added that if the officer were to be executed, this would be an inevitable result of the Israeli “occupation.” He repeated time and again that only by giving up the territories would Israel manage to put an end to such incidents.
Yassin, 55, established Hamas, an acronym for the Islamic Resistance Movement, during the early weeks of the intifada in December 1987.
At the age of 14, Yassin was injured playing soccer and he has been paralyzed since from the waist down. He later became a teacher of Islamic studies and soon established himself as a senior religious leader in the Gaza Strip.
Yassin was first arrested in 1985, charged with setting up an illegal Islamic organization that advocated armed struggle against Israel and an Islamic state to replace Israel.
He was sentenced to 15 years in jail, but was released a few months later in a prisoners exchange with Ahmed Jabril’s Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command.
He was rearrested in 1989, in connection with the kidnapping and murder of Israel Defense Force soldiers Avi Sasportas and Ilan Sa’adon. He was then sentenced to life in prison.
Yassin reportedly is in bad health. Israeli authorities have expressed concern that he may die in custody, and there has been speculation that he may be released soon due to his illness.
The kidnapping of Toledano may have upset those plans, since judging from past experience, it is unlikely that the authorities will bow to the terrorists’ demands.
In the television interview, Yassin said he felt well, but was suffering a little trouble in his right kidney. He also said he was having trouble in his eye and was expected to undergo surgery for it.
Although he reiterated that he was being treated well, he looked tired and ill, much older than his 55 years. His voice was high-pitched and he seemed to be straining himself to talk.
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