Defiant HAMAS Big Out In Open

Hamas' spiritual leader - marked for death by Israel - emerged from hiding yesterday and vowed his group would never lay down its arms. Appearing for the first time since a recent Israeli assassination attempt, wheelchair-bound Sheik Ahmed Yassin met with reporters at a mosque in Gaza City and declared President Bush had "declared war on Islam" in his U.N. speech. Yassin had been in hiding since being wounded on Sept. 6 when Israel dropped a bomb on a house where he was meeting with Hamas leaders. He chose the mosque for his appearance apparently because Israel would not attack a religious institution. Yassin said Hamas would not agree to a new truce with Israel and would not surrender arms to the incoming Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qureia, rejecting invitations to join Qureia's government. Meanwhile, 27 Israeli air force pilots said they would not carry out airstrikes against Palestinians, in a petition calling the attacks "illegal and immoral."