'Hamas to ask EU to remove it from terrorism list'

Senior Hamas member Ahmed Yousif claims movement has not carried out any attacks inside Israel since 2004.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Hamas supporters rally in Hebron 370 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Hamas supporters rally in Hebron 370
(photo credit: REUTERS)
The new Hamas politburo plans to recruit support for the movement in Europe in order to try and remove it from the EU's terrorism list, Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported on Sunday.
The movement decided to focus its efforts on the European Union rather than the United States, as it believes the US will not agree to remove the organization from its terrorism list.
"European countries set only one condition to do that - avoiding martyrdom attacks inside Israel, and Hamas hasn’t carried out any attack since 2004," senior Hamas member Ahmed Yousif was quoted in Ma'an as saying.
In December, Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh called on the EU and the US to remove his organization from their terrorism lists.
“Hamas and the Palestinian groups are national liberation movements that are defending themselves against Israeli aggression on our people,” Haniyeh told a European mission visiting Gaza.
Khaled Abu Tomeh contributed to this report.