Hamas to remain on terror list as EU General Court rejects appeal
Hamas made multiple claims in its arguments against its inclusion on the EU terror list. All of these claims were rejected or withdrawn.
By TZVI JOFFREHamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh looks on as he attends the funeral of Palestinian Hamas militants who were killed in Israeli tank fire, at a mosque in Gaza City July 26, 2018(photo credit: MOHAMMED SALEM/REUTERS)
The European Union General Court has rejected an appeal by Gaza-based Hamas requesting they be removed from the EU's list of terrorist organizations.Hamas made multiple claims in its arguments against its inclusion on the EU terror list. All of these claims were rejected or withdrawn.One claim was that the EU's facts were inaccurate, which the General Court found to be false and irrelevant since, excluding one case, Hamas could not provide any specific details on what was inaccurate.Another claim made was that all the actions brought as examples of terrorist activity by the EU "took place in the context of the war of occupation by Israel in Palestine."The General Court responded to this claim, saying "the objectives of the European Union and its member states are to combat terrorism, whatever form it may take, in accordance with the objectives of current international law." Accordingly, they rejected the claim as unfounded.The other five claims Hamas made in their legal argument were also rejected as unfounded.The General Court ruled that Hamas would remain on the terrorist list and ordered them to bear their own court costs and to pay those incurred by the council of the European Union.
