Priti Patel, interior minister of the United Kingdom, announced on Friday that UK has blacklisted the Palestinian militant organisation Hamas, aligning the country’s stance on Gaza’s rulers with that of the US and the European Union.
‘Hamas has tremendous terrorist capacity,’ Patel said in a statement, ‘with access to extensive and sophisticated weaponry as well as terrorist training centres.’
The organisation would be outlawed under the Terrorism Act, and anyone who expressed sympathy for Hamas, flew its flag, or organised meetings for the group would be breaking the law, according to the interior ministry.
Hamas is divided into two factions: political and military. It was founded in 1987 and opposes both Israel’s existence and peace talks, urging ‘armed resistance’ to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands.
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