EU court rejects Hamas appeal, reinforces its status as terror group

The EU General Court rejected all the arguments Hamas presented, meaning EU funds aimed for Hamas are still frozen.

By HAGAY HACOHEN
Hamas members (photo credit: REUTERS)
Hamas members
(photo credit: REUTERS)
The EU General Court rejected an appeal by the terrorist group Hamas on Wednesday, which claimed it is ‘a lawful political movement’.
"In today's judgment, the General Court looks into each of the arguments made by Hamas and rejects them in their totality," the court ruling said.
As a result, "the decision to extend the freezing of Hamas funds is confirmed."
Hamas has tried several times to get scrapped of the EU's blacklist, which was created in response to the 9/11 attacks, and which includes Hamas since 2015.
The terrorist organization claimed the listing was based on facts that weren't substantiated by evidence, denied it the right of defense, and that it infringed upon the group's right to property by freezing its funds.
The court rejected the arguments, saying that because it is "neither a state nor the government of a state, Hamas cannot benefit from the principle of non-interference,"
The decision can be appealed before the EU Court of Justice.