Hamas Calls on Australia to Reverse Decision Listing It as Terror Group

Actors dressed as Israeli soldiers and Hamas fighters appear in a series being filmed in northern Gaza. (AP)
Actors dressed as Israeli soldiers and Hamas fighters appear in a series being filmed in northern Gaza. (AP)
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Hamas Calls on Australia to Reverse Decision Listing It as Terror Group

Actors dressed as Israeli soldiers and Hamas fighters appear in a series being filmed in northern Gaza. (AP)
Actors dressed as Israeli soldiers and Hamas fighters appear in a series being filmed in northern Gaza. (AP)

The Palestinian Hamas movement rejected Australia’s intention to list both its military and political wings as terrorist.

Senior Hamas official Ismail Radwan condemned the Australian decision as biased in favor of Israel, which hailed the decision as a further step in the fight against terrorism.

Hamas stressed that the Australian government’s designation contradicts international law, which guarantees the right of peoples to resist the occupier, and ignores the oppressive practices of the occupation against the Palestinian people as documented by international human rights reports.

It referred to the latest report by the Amnesty International, which called for accountability for the crime of apartheid against Palestinians.

It called on the Australian government to reverse the decision, which “harms its reputation of respecting human rights and recognizing international laws and norms.”

The Australian government announced its intention to list the entirety of Palestinian Hamas group as a terrorist organization under the country’s criminal code, Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said on Thursday.

A listing by Australia of the whole group, rather than just its military wing as at present, would bring Canberra’s stance in line with the United States, the European Union and Britain.

Canberra had previously listed Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades as a terror group, but the new designation will list the organization in its entirety.

“The views of Hamas and the seven other violent extremist groups listed today(Thursday) are deeply disturbing and there is no place in Australia for their hateful ideologies,” Andrews said in a statement.

She pointed out that Australia also added the US-based far-right extremist group National Socialist Order, formerly known as Atomwaffen Division, joins Islamist groups Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham and Hurras al-Din to the list.

Another four Islamist militant groups - the Abu Sayyaf Group, al Qaeda, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, and Jemaah Islamiyah - have been relisted under the code, she added.

The designation will place restrictions on financing or providing other support to Hamas -- with certain offenses carrying a 25-year prison sentence.

“It is vital that our laws target not only terrorist acts and terrorists, but also the organizations that plan, finance and carry out these acts.”

Israel has maintained a blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007, when Hamas took power in the impoverished enclave.

“I welcome the news that Australia will list Hamas as a terrorist organization in its entirety,” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement, thanking Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison for the move.



Biden Pushes Gaza Ceasefire Deal in Eid al-Adha Message

US President Joe Biden. AP
US President Joe Biden. AP
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Biden Pushes Gaza Ceasefire Deal in Eid al-Adha Message

US President Joe Biden. AP
US President Joe Biden. AP

US President Joe Biden used his Eid al-Adha message to Muslims to advocate a US-backed ceasefire deal in Gaza, saying on Sunday it was the best way to help civilians suffering the “horrors of war between Hamas and Israel.”

“Too many innocent people have been killed, including thousands of children. Families have fled their homes and seen their communities destroyed. Their pain is immense,” Biden said in a statement.

“I strongly believe that the three-phase ceasefire proposal Israel has made to Hamas and that the UN Security Council has endorsed is the best way to end the violence in Gaza and ultimately end the war,” he added.

The United States has been pressing Israel and Hamas to formally accept the ceasefire deal passed by Security Council members last week, which would allow an initial six-week pause to fighting.

Eid al-Adha saw a rare day of relative calm in Gaza after Israel announced a “tactical pause” in fighting near Rafah to facilitate aid deliveries.

Biden said the US “is blessed to be home to millions of American Muslims who enrich our nation in countless ways, from medicine to technology, education, public service, the arts, and beyond.”

The president also highlighted American efforts to “advocate for the rights of other Muslim communities” facing persecution, including the Rohingya in Myanmar and the Uygurs in China.

He said “we’re also working to bring a peaceful resolution to the horrific conflict in Sudan.”

On the domestic front, Biden’s message on Sunday also promised a crackdown on Islamophobia in a direct appeal to American Muslims, an important voting demographic in the Democrat’s re-election bid against Republican rival Donald Trump.

“Hate has no place in America, whether it is targeted at American Muslims, Arab Americans including Palestinians, or anyone else,” he said.

“My administration is creating a national strategy to counter Islamophobia and related forms of bias and discrimination, which affect not only Muslims, but also Arab, Sikh, and South Asian Americans,” Biden added.