SWC Calls for International Arrest Warrant to be Issued for Hamas Leader Mashaal

June 28, 2006

IN WAKE OF KIDNAPPINGS OF ISRAELIS AND RENEWED VIOLENCE, WIESENTHAL CENTER CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL ARREST WARRANT TO BE ISSUED FOR HAMAS LEADER KHALED MASHAAL

The Simon Wiesenthal Center today called for an international arrest warrant to be issued for the apprehension of Hamas leader, Khaled Mashaal, in wake of the recent attacks on Israelis including the  kidnapping and killing of an 18-year old and the abduction of a Israeli soldier.

"The time has come for the United Nations to force Syria to give up Khaled Mashaal," said Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder and dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. "Just because Mashaal's intended victims are mainly Jews does not mean that he should be considered any less an international pariah and outlaw than Osama Bin Laden and Bin Laden's deputy, Ayman Zawahiri. As long as he is free to conduct his terrorist activities, there will be no road map and no Middle East peace," Hier continued.

Photo: Hamas Leader Khaled Mashaal with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad following a meeting in Tehran.  February 21, 2006
AFP/Getty Images

"He is the mastermind behind the suicide bombings in Israel and now the more than 650 rocket attacks and recent spate of kidnappings. He is the real face of Hamas, whose sole objective is the complete destruction of the State of Israel," Hier concluded.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center will hold a press briefing on Thursday, June 29th at 11:00 a.m. at the Center's Museum of Tolerance, 9786 W. Pico Blvd. (corner Pico & Roxbury), Los Angeles.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS and the Council of Europe.

For more information, contact the Center's Public Relations department, 310-772-2458.