Australia to list Hamas as a terrorist organization
February 17, 2022, 6:08 am

Australia to list Hamas as a terrorist organization

Flag of Australia (File photo: Pixabay)

The Arab News reported, citing the Associated Press, Australia on Thursday said it would list all of Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas as a terrorist organization, the latest Western nation to do so.

Canberra had previously listed Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades as a terror group, but the new designation will list the organization in its entirety.

Hamas currently controls the Gaza Strip, has vowed to “liberate” Jerusalem by force and has frequently carried out attacks on Israeli targets.

Home affairs minister Karen Andrews: “The views of Hamas and the violent extremist groups listed today are deeply disturbing, and there is no place in Australia for their hateful ideologies."

Occupied Palestine-Gaza city-Palestinian woman/Pixabay

The designation will place restrictions on financing or providing other support to Hamas — with certain offenses carrying a 25-year prison sentence.

Senior leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad leave Gaza Strip to live abroad

Andrews said: “It is vital that our laws target not only terrorist acts and terrorists, but also the organizations that plan, finance and carry out these acts.”

Israel has maintained a blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, when Hamas took power in the impoverished enclave.

United Kingdom designated Hamas as a terror organization, what’s next?

The United States has long designated Hamas a terror group.

A similar EU decision had been the subject of a protracted court battle, that eventually resulted in Hamas being returned to the terror list.

Source: arabnews

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.