Hamas assassination stirs Arab outrage

By Kim Ghattas
BBC correspondent in Beirut

Across the Arab world, there has been condemnation of the killing of the Hamas Gaza leader Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi.

Demonstrators have taken to the streets in Cairo and in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.

Rantissi: The second Hamas chief to be killed recently

Arab leaders have warned the killing will only lead to more violence in the region.

Leaders from Jordan to Yemen, Lebanon and Morocco have expressed their outrage at Rantissi's killing, describing it as an ugly crime, state terrorism by Israel and a catastrophic action.

From around the region there has also been condemnation of the perceived US blessing to Israel's actions.

Commentators and politicians have said it was no coincidence that the killing came so soon after the visit to Washington of the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Arabs have accused the United States of giving the Israelis a free hand when it comes to dealing with the Palestinians.

Meshaal threat

In Damascus, Khaled Meshaal, the head of Hamas' political bureau has vowed to continue the fight against Israel.

He also said Arabs should not be satisfied with simply watching Hamas' strikes against Israel.

They should join the struggle because they were also targets, he said.

Mr Meshaal added that Ariel Sharon and the US President George W Bush were waging war against the entire Umma, the Muslim nation.

Mr Meshaal was expelled from Jordan in the late 1990s and has since been based in Damascus.

Israel has often said Mr Meshaal was also a key target and some in the Israeli government have now reiterated that threat.