Hamas taken off terror list,
EU Votes for Palestine State
SYYED MANSOOR AGHA analyses a European Union court’s verdict taking Hamas off the terror list and the EU Parliament resolution recognising Palestine as a State.
In a day, Hamas, the resistance movement against the Racist Zionist Regime of Israel, received two shots in the arm. On 17 December, the second-highest court of the European Union (EU) took Hamas off the terror list and the Parliament of the EU adopted a resolution opening the way to recognise Palestine as a State.
Soon after 9/11 attack on twin towers of World Trade Centre in New York, purportedly a handiwork of Zionist minds to start a nefarious war led by US against Islam and Muslims, the Council of the European Union adopted a “common position” and a regulation to combat “terrorism”. Under the scheme, it established a list of certain entities and people whose funds would be frozen. Hamas’ military wing, the Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades, was named on the initial list, and its political wing was added two years later.
In addition to an asset freeze and to prevent European funding for the group, the blacklisting also discouraged EU officials from holding direct talks with senior Hamas officials. Though EU has an option to go on appeal against the verdict, the present political scenario suggests that the probability of adopting a hardline stand against Hamas and going soft for Israel will not be easy. EU is not in a mood to ditto the line of Netanyahu’s regime, which has repeatedly rejected with contempt all good advice of EU for reconciliation with Palestine’s native Arabs represented by Hamas and PLO.
Hamas contested the decision of blacklisting in the court of European Union. The verdict, considered a partial relief, is expected to strengthen peace efforts in the Middle East. The ruling will have little immediate impact since the court is maintaining an asset freeze on the group for at least three months or, if an appeal is brought before the European Court of Justice, until it was closed, it added.
On the eve of “UN International Day for Minorities Rights” the EU’s General Court declared on 17 December, that the decision to enlist Hamas as a terror group was “based not on facts examined and confirmed in decisions of competent authorities but on factual imputations derived from the press and the internet”. In other words, the situation was created by media, which is largely under the influence and mostly under the control of Zionists, the racist Jews, who are replicated in India by RSS and its affiliates.
RESOLUTION OF EU PARLIAMENT
Hours after the verdict of second highest court of EU, the European Parliament in Strasbourg, voted 498 to 88 to adopt a resolution supporting “in principle recognition of Palestinian statehood and the two-state solution”. The five main EU political party groupings voted for the resolution.
The resolutions also called for peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians to be “advanced”. It was a compromise text. The original text had called for unconditional recognition, in line with resolutions passed by several national legislatures, including those of France and the UK in recent months (see Radiance issue LII 37, 14-20 December 2014). France is pushing a United Nations Security Resolution calling for peace talks to be quickly resumed and setting a two-year deadline for a deal.
PA, HAMAS HAIL MOVE
Palestinian Authority Ambassador to the EU Leila Shahid welcomed the verdict as a “positive step”. Shahid noted that, “this is what stopped us from being able to have our government recognised back in 2006 after Hamas democratically won the majority of votes. This has been one of the reasons for the split between Hamas and Fatah,” said Shahid. “This can have a positive input in allowing us to get back to reconciliation, to unite Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem that are the territories of the Palestinian state.”
Shahid also welcomed the European parliament’s resolution supporting Palestinian statehood in principle ahead of a UN Security Council vote.
Hamas hailed the European court decision, describing the move as a “victory”. “This is a victory for the Palestinian question and for the rights of our people,” Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum was reported as saying. “We thank the European court for this positive decision which must be followed by international steps to lift the oppression of the Palestinian people.”
ISRAELI REACTION
As expected, Israel reacted sharply against the move and the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded the EU to take immediate action to relist Hamas as a terror organisation. He said, “The burden of proof lies with the European Union and we expect them to immediately return Hamas to the list that everyone understands it is an inseparable part of.”
He reiterated oft-repeated rhetoric that “Hamas is a murderous terror organisation that notes in its charter that its purpose is to destroy Israel”. Reacting to the call, the EU said it was studying the ruling and would decide on its available options.
COURT CONCERNS
The court outlined several concerns about the listing, including the strength of evidence provided for the original listing and for keeping Hamas on the list. Critical to the decision was the court’s ruling that the EU can’t build its case on evidence that hasn’t been evaluated and backed up by a competent national authority. This meant that much of the more recent information provided wasn’t deemed relevant.
The decision is viewed as another blow to the EU’s sanctions regime. In recent years the court struck down certain entities, including Syrian and Iranian companies from the list on the basis of legal infirmity of listing. According to media reports, EU asset freezes on some top former Ukrainian officials for alleged corruption were under threat. The EU is also facing challenges from Russian people and firms hit by sanctions.
EU officials have privately acknowledged the bloc may rethink of the entire sanctions regime. One senior EU official said that successful challenges to EU sanctions are “a problem that is growing more and more important.”
ISRAEL AMBASSADOR’S REACTION
David Walzer, Israel’s ambassador to the EU, reacting to resolution of Parliament, said the final text will please neither the Palestinians nor the Israelis and seems to serve the purpose only of EU politicians.
“We think that the only way to move forward is direct negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians,” he said. “Neither Strasbourg, nor New York or Geneva will bring the Palestinians to the Promised Land. Only direct negotiations with Israel” can do that.
This may be a right line for resolving the dispute, but the problem is that Israeli leaders do not want reconciliation with native Arabs. Reconciliation will mean to convert their hegemonies regime into a democracy in which both Jews settled in the area and Native Arabs can live in peace. It will also mean granting all human and civil rights, including right to return to their homes to displaced Palestinian Arabs, return the lands illegally occupied in wars. Instead Israeli policymakers endure to establish “Greater Zionist Racist Regime” from Syria to Sinai and parts of Jordan.
[syyedagha@hotmail.com]