(1947-2004) A Palestinian political figure. In 1987, Rantisi and others founded Hamas. One of the leading figures in Hamas during the First Intifada, he was detained numerous times by Israeli security forces before being expelled to Lebanon from 1992-1993. He returned to the Occupied Palestinian Territories after the Oslo Process began, and by 1999 was the effective political head of Hamas. He was appointed as the leader of Hamas after Sheikh Ahmad Yassin was assassinated by an Israeli missile strike in March 2004. Rantisi was a proponent of suicide bombings against Israel and had publicly called for the destruction of the State of Israel. The Israeli Airforce assassinated him in April 2004. See Fischbach, Michael R. “Rantisi, Abd al-Aziz.” Philip Mattar, ed. Encyclopedia of the Palestinians. New York: Facts on File, 2005.  http://www.justvision.org/glossary/al-rantisi-abdel-aziz