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Hamas slams US call for UNSC to list it as a ‘terror organisation’

June 22, 2017 at 11:56 am

Senior Hamas leaders [Ashraf Amra/Apaimages]

Hamas yesterday condemned the US’ request to the UN Security Council that it be added to the council’s official list of “terrorist groups”, the Anadolu Agency reported.

“Hamas rejects remarks by Washington’s permanent representative to the United Nations [Nikki Haley] in which she described Hamas as a ‘terrorist organisation’ and urged the Security Council to include it on its terrorism list,” Hamas spokesman, Abdul Latif Al-Qanua, said in statement.

He went on to describe Haley’s request as being “part of an ongoing campaign against Hamas in favour of the Zionist entity to deny the right of the Palestinians to resist Israel, which occupies our land and practices terrorism against our people.”

Hamas is a movement of national liberation; all attempts to dub it a ‘terrorist’ group are destined to fail.

On Tuesday, Haley sharply criticised Hamas, urging the UN Security Council to “punish” all countries and organisations that support the group.

Read: Israel uses ‘tunnel’ claim as an excuse to attack Hamas and UNRWA

“We must pressure Hamas to end its tyranny over the people of Gaza,” Haley declared, further calling on the Security Council to adopt a resolution designating the group as a “terrorist organisation”.

During a trip to Saudi Arabia last month, US President Donald Trump cited Hamas, along with Daesh, Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah, as a “terrorist threat to the region”.