LONDON: The three rocket missiles that were fired on Monday from a US-supplied Israeli helicopter at the break of day on a procession of 15 Palestinians returning home after dawn prayers in a nearby mosque may have brought to an end any prospect of peace in the Middle East.

At the centre of the group of worshippers was no ordinary individual. Ahmad Yassin was neither ordinary in his physical appearance, nor in his stature at the heart of a conflict at the root of global problems over the past five decades.

A 67-year-old quadriplegic, paralysed from the neck downwards and suffering from serious ailments, including severe visual and hearing disabilities, Sheikh Yassin was considered by some to be Israel's worst nightmare.

But for millions of Muslims all over the world, he was seen not only as the founder of Hamas, but as the spiritual father of the latest phase of Palestinian armed struggle for freedom, liberation and the reclamation of their occupied homeland.

It was also Yassin who insisted that his people's struggle must remain within the boundaries of Palestine and continuously offered Israel the chance of a truce, which was repeatedly turned down.

On Monday, March 22 the Israeli forces were issued with a direct order from the highest level to target and kill this man in his wheelchair. The aims of this mission may seem obscure to some, but to many they are cynically cold-blooded and foolish.

If the Israeli prime minister and his cabinet thought that eliminating Ahmad Yassin would bring closer the chance of peace and resolution to a conflict that has brought unspoken misery and bloodshed, then it is a government suffering from serious self- delusion.

Already Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the al-Aqsa Brigades and other Palestinian armed groups have pledged to fight an open war against Israel, and in the process, to stop at no boundary and to shy away from no target.

One can only expect more bloodshed and an escalation of the cycle of violence that will scupper any prospect of a settlement within the foreseeable future.

The UK foreign secretary Jack Straw's statement on Monday denouncing the Israeli attack - as well as the French government's similar response - was welcomed by Muslims throughout the world. But these responses also raise the question of where Europe truly stands on Israeli killings in the occupied territories and the Palestinians' right to resist.

Only last year, the European Union decided to proscribe Hamas - under pressure from the British government - condemning it as a terrorist organization and thereby effectively granting Israel a licence to kill at will. And that is what it has been doing ever since.

But this latest prize is likely to be one that will haunt not only Israel, but will also those who have one way or another encouraged Sharon's "hunting season". In the eyes of Muslims and all those horrified by recent events, Jack Straw and his counterparts across Europe have blood on their hands.

In an attempt to legitimise its actions, Israel has invoked a language calculated to go down well with the global powers-that-be, such as "terrorists", "war on terror" and "the Palestinian Al Qaeda".

In the midst of all the blood and suffering, the world has managed to offer carte blanche to a government in breach of numerous UN resolutions to kill citizens whose lands it occupies.

And while we condemn without question a suicide attack carried out by a lone Palestinian youngster, we accept the legality and even applaud the courage of a soldier armed to the teeth, firing rocket missiles into densely populated residential areas from hundreds of feet up in the sky.

Muslims worldwide, criticised the US-made "war on terror", not because they somehow condoned or welcomed terrorism. They do not. But at the heart of this staged and false campaign is a grave and dangerous principle.

It is the principle that terrorism and bloodshed unleashed by states and elected leaders is somehow excusable and acceptable. It is the principle that might is right, and whoever holds the gun must be the bearer of truth.

If ever an example of state terrorism was called for, Israel unequivocally fits the bill. But the world's standards continue to be overturned and transformed. As a result, nations linger under occupation, innocent women and children die and the future of us all is bleaker than ever before.

The murder of Sheikh Ahmad Yassin is a turning point in the history of the struggle of a people. Alas, it is not a turning point that brings promise or hope. -Dawn/The Guardian News Service.