'Remove Hamas from list of terrorist organizations'
Ismail Haniyeh calls on US, EU to recognize Hamas as a national liberation movement, defending against "Israeli aggression."
By KHALED ABU TOAMEHHamas victory 521(photo credit: Ahmed Zakot/Reuters)
“The time has come for the US and EU to remove Hamas from the list of designated terrorist organizations,” Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said Sunday.Haniyeh’s appeal came during a meeting in Gaza City with a visiting European mission in solidarity with the Palestinians.“Hamas and the Palestinian groups are national liberation movements that are defending themselves against Israeli aggression on our people,” Haniyeh told the delegation.He also called for prosecuting Israeli leaders “for their ongoing crimes against our people, especially the last eight-day aggression [in the Gaza Strip].”Haniyeh complained that the UN-sponsored investigative report into Operation Cast Lead, which was prepared by South African judge Richard Goldstone, “had been shelved by some countries that help the occupation.”The Hamas leader said that had the report been “activated,” Israeli leaders would have been prosecuted for war crimes.
