Sydney (AFP)
Australia announced yesterday its intention to designate the Palestinian movement Hamas, with its military and political wings, as a terrorist organization, becoming the latest Western country to take this step.
Canberra had previously included the “Al-Qassam Brigades” affiliated with “Hamas” on its list of terrorism, but the new designation includes the entire organization.
Hamas currently controls the Gaza Strip. “The views of Hamas and other violent extremist groups who have been included in the list are deeply disturbing, and there is no place in Australia for their hateful ideologies,” Australian Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said, while announcing the designation of eight organizations.
The designation will place restrictions on funding Hamas, any kind of support for it, and some activities related to the movement, which may carry a sentence of up to 25 years in prison. “It is imperative that our laws target not only terrorist activities and terrorists, but also the organizations that plan, finance and carry out these acts,” Andrews added.
The United States has long designated Hamas a terrorist organization. In addition, a similar decision of the European Union was the subject of a long judicial dispute in the courts, which eventually led to the return of “Hamas” to the terrorist list.