The extrajudicial execution of Rantissi was unlawful and "not conducive to lowering tension" (AFP)

WORLD CAPITALS, April 18 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - The whole world slammed Israel for its extrajudicial execution of newly-appointed Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip Abdelaziz Rantissi, with the European Union dubbing it "unlawful and provocative". Washington alone, however, defended Israel.

In Straffan, Ireland, E.U. Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana said late Saturday, April 17, that Israel's extrajudicial execution of Rantissi was "not conducive to lowering tension".

"The European Union has consistently condemned extrajudicial killings," Solana said in a statement issued during talks between E.U. and Asian foreign ministers, according to Reuters.

"Israel has a right to protect its citizens from terrorist attacks, but actions of this type are not only unlawful, they are not conducive to lowering tension."

Calling it a "violation of international law", United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan called on Israel to "immediately end" the practice of "extrajudicial killings".

In a statement issued by his spokesman, Annan condemned the Rantissi extrajudicial execution and urged Palestinians and Israelis to resume negotiations based on the Middle East roadmap drawn by the U.N., U.S., European Union and Russia, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Israel assassinated Rantissi in a helicopter strike in the Gaza Strip Saturday, less than a month after he succeeded Hamas founder and spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, whom Israel killed in a similar attack.

Portuguese Foreign Minister Teresa Gouveia said the extrajudicial execution "in no way contributes to the resolution of the Middle East conflict".

"Targeted assassinations of this kind are unlawful, unjustified and counterproductive," Straw

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said such assassinations were wrong and unhelpful to peace.

"The British government has made it repeatedly clear that so-called targeted assassinations of this kind are unlawful, unjustified and counterproductive," Straw said in a statement.

Italy also warned that the extrajudicial execution could lead to further bloodshed.

"Italy, like the whole of the European Union, has always condemned the practice of targeted assassinations, which contribute to furthering the spiral of hatred and violence," Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said.

Arabs Condemn

The extrajudicial execution drew strong rebukes from Arab countries, as well.

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said condemned the assassination and slammed Israel’s "state terrorism".

"The continuation of this Israeli policy of aggression demands serious action from the international community to secure international protection for the Palestinian people," he said in a statement.

Qatar was the first Arab state to officially condemn the Rantissi extrajudicial killing branding it "a terrorist crime by Israel," according to Aljazeera.

The Jordanian government, which has a peace treaty with Israel, convened an urgent meeting after the assassination and condemned "the Israeli crime".

In Cairo, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher lashed out at the Israeli crime, accusing Israel of driving the region to deep abyss.

The People’s Assembly (Egypt’s lower house of parliament) Arab Affairs Committee held an emergency meeting and issued a statement condemning "Israel’s state terrorism".

Iranian Vice President Mohammad Ali Abtahi, calling Rantissi a "martyr," said the assassination was a "big crime" that "will only give fresh blood to the resistance (movement) in the region."

U.S. Defends Israel

Singing like a canary, the White House defended Israel which defiantly vowed to continue what it called "eliminating terrorists".

"Israel has the right to defend itself from terrorist attacks," the White House said in a statement. "Hamas is a terrorist organization that attacks civilians."

The statement said Israel should "consider carefully the consequences of its actions" and called on "all parties to exercise maximum restraint at this time".

"The United States is gravely concerned for regional peace and stability," the White House said.

A U.S. State Department official told CNN Washington neither gave "Israel any kind of green light" to kill Rantissi nor had advance knowledge of the attack on his car in Gaza City.

He was apparently responding to Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei charges that the extrajudicial execution was a "direct result" of U.S. support for Israel.