European Court Reverses Status of Hamas as Terrorist Organization

[drummer4now]

LONDON — Strains between Israel and parts of Europe intensified on Wednesday when the European Union’s second-highest court reversed the bloc’s designation of the militant Palestiniangroup Hamas as a terrorist organization.

The court’s decision coincided with increasing European impatience with the stalled effort toward peace in the Middle East, which has fed a swell of opinion in favor of recognizing a Palestinian state.

On Wednesday, in a compromise resolution, theEuropean Parliament in Strasbourg, France, voted 498 to 88 with 111 abstentions to support “in principle the recognition of Palestinian statehood” in tandem with revived peace negotiations, according to the Parliament’s website.

In Geneva, a Palestinian statement at a conference on the Geneva Conventions accused Israel of flouting international law in many areas. “The prolonged military occupation of Palestine must end as it is the source of the pervasive violations of international humanitarian law in occupied Palestine,” the statement said.

Hamas, which controls Gaza, has been on the European list of terrorist organizations since 2001. It has always objected to the classification.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/18/world/europe/hamas-palestinian-statehood-vote-european-parliament.html?_r=0

Netanyahu: Hypocritical Europeans have 'learned nothing' from Holocaust

After European Union General Court removes Hamas from terrorist list on technicality, Netanyahu slams 'European hypocrisy'.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said Europeans appeared to have learned nothing from the Holocaust, condemning the European Union's decision to Facebook and

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: GPO)

Related stories:

• European Parliament wants Palestinian state as part of two-state solution

• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu swiftly called on Europe to maintain the ban. "We expect them to immediately put Hamas back on the list," he said in a statement from Jerusalem, denouncing Hamas as "a murderous terrorist organization".

  The EU court did not consider the merits of whether Hamas should be classified as a terror group, but reviewed the original decision-making process. This, it said, did not include the considered opinion of competent authorities, but rather relied on press and Internet reports.

  "The court stresses that those annulments, on fundamental procedural grounds, do not imply any substantive assessment of the question of the classification of Hamas as a terrorist group," the court said in a statement.

  It therefore ruled that the asset freezes should stay in place for three months, pending further EU actions, in order to ensure that any possible future freezing of funds would be effective.

  

  Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh (Photo: AFP)

  The court's decision followed an appeal filed by Hamas against its inclusion in the European Union's blacklist.

  The EU is considering its next steps. It has two months to appeal.

  The terrorist list designation bars EU officials from dealing with the group, and requires that any of the group's funds in EU countries be frozen.

  Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq welcomed the decision. "This is the correction of an error and an injustice that was caused to Hamas, which is a national liberation movement."

  Salah Bardawil, another Hamas official, called the decision a "strong, good shift" that he said would ultimately lead to European action against Israel.

  Netanyahu slams Geneva conference

  Netanyahu also lambasted an international conference in Geneva that he said sought to probe accusations of Israeli war crimes.

  Among the concerns raised in the 10-point declaration adopted Wednesday are that Israel should "fully and effectively" respect the Fourth Geneva Convention meant to protect civilians during times of war including in East Jerusalem and other occupied territories.

  

  Hamas rally in Gaza (Photo: Reuters)

  "Today we witnessed staggering examples of European hypocrisy," Netanyahu said. "In Geneva they call for the investigation of Israel for war crimes."

  Both the United States and Israel shunned the talks, held amid mounting tensions between Palestinians and Israelis, warning that the event threatened Switzerlands role as neutral arbiter.

  Paul Fivat, Switzerland's special ambassador for the Geneva Conventions, said that the intention was "not to accuse, it was not a tribunal.. it was a place simply for the parties to reiterate what is international law".

  "This declaration is a signal that is being sent to conflicting parties, especially the civilian populations, that there is a law which is protecting their interests," he told reporters.

  But the Israeli foreign ministry said the talks undermined international law and confers legitimacy on terrorist organisations and dictatorial regimes wherever they are.

  The conference convened today in Geneva was a political exercise, lacking any basis in the Geneva Conventions, the ministry said in a statement. It added: It wont stop Israel from implementing its primary obligation to its citizens — to provide them with security and protect them from merciless and fanatic terrorists (who) do not hide their desire to see Israel wiped off the map of the Middle East.

  The US also boycotted the conference, saying that it risks politicising the Geneva Conventions.

  The Palestinians warn that they may seek to sign up to the International Criminal Court and have threatened to file a suit against Israel over its July-August war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, in which more than 2,000 Palestinians were killed, most of them civilians.

  http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4604960,00.html

All I have to say is wow...

And of course Netanyahu was quick to use the holocaust card..

[Warhippy]

It's cute Bibi keeps referencing the holocaust every single time someone goes against his wishes.

The holocaust has nothing to do with what people are deciding in regards to Israels current march towards isolationism

The holocaust has everything to do with the power elite attempting to systematically erase a people from the earth.

See Palestine.

*Edit*

I do not see the taking of Hamas off of terrorist status as an entirely good thing, but they are technically a governing body. If Hamas is a terrorist organization for repeated attacks maybe it would be better to label the IDF as the same for the same reasons.

This thread should be fun to read in a few hours if nothing else.

[TOMapleLaughs]

Netanyahu is pretty much the biggest holocaust hypocrite on the planet earth.

[drummer4now]

Now we just wait for the official reaction by the CDC pro-israeli lobby.

[nuckin_futz]

Now we just wait for the official reaction by the CDC pro-israeli lobby.

[Warhippy]

Crap man I just spit the biggest snot bubble out of my nose

+1 to you

[Mr. Ambien]

Can anyone explain why Hamas isn't a terrorist organization?

I mean, we've got posts that clearly identify Netanyahu using the race card (interesting how liberal race card detector actually functions properly on Israel politics, yet is broken for black politics in the US), another looking for pro-Israel responses, but none yet address the actual issue. How is Hamas launching rockets at civilians and using civilian areas for launching pads, or using hospitals or schools to store weapons (then crying foul when their weapons cache gets blown to bits), not a terrorist operation?

[drummer4now]

Can anyone explain why Hamas isn't a terrorist organization?

I mean, we've got posts that clearly identify Netanyahu using the race card (interesting how liberal race card detector actually functions properly on Israel politics, yet is broken for black politics in the US), another looking for pro-Israel responses, but none yet address the actual issue. How is Hamas launching rockets at civilians and using civilian areas for launching pads, or using hospitals or schools to store weapons (then crying foul when their weapons cache gets blown to bits), not a terrorist operation?

IMO it should still regarded as a terrorist organization... But this decision shows that justice still prevails in this world.

For far too long has Israel been able to do whatever it wants with minimal oversight or condemnation.

Now we might see equal playing fields..

[Mr. Ambien]

IMO it should still regarded as a terrorist organization... But this decision shows that justice still prevails in this world.

For far too long has Israel been able to do whatever it wants with minimal oversight or condemnation.

Now we might see equal playing fields..

They should declare the Israel government a terrorist organization too then.

Why remove Hamas as one?

Ridiculous.

[drummer4now]

They should declare the Israel government a terrorist organization too then.

Why remove Hamas as one?

Ridiculous.

I think its easier for them to remove Hamas than to add Israel..

Bibi would probably declare airstrikes on Europe if that happened.

[Heretic]

Wow.

Okay, they are not "terrorist", but does the European court condone their charter?

"The Charter identified Hamas as the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine and declares its members to be Muslims who "fear God and raise the banner of Jihad in the face of the oppressors." The charter states that "our struggle against the Jews is very great and very serious" and calls for the eventual creation of an Islamic state in Palestine, in place of Israel and the Palestinian Territories,^[2] and the obliteration or dissolution of Israel.^[3][4] It emphasizes the importance of jihad stating in article 13, "There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. "

They want all Jews dead - isn't that genocide?

They are not interested in co-existence.

[taxi]

Well....I hate to once again mop the floor with your guys, but....

Hamas is still considered a terrorist organization. The courts did not rule on this issue. They took Hamas off the list for procedural reasons. It is still illegal to fund Hamas.

They found an error in the way the intial application against Hamas was brought. So they are forced to take Hamas off the list. The restrictions against Hamas carry on for 3 more months. During that time the application can be ammended, and if successful Hamas will be put back on the list permanently:

http://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2014-12/cp140178en.pdf

This ruling in no way represents a change in the way the EU views Hamas, which is as a terrorist organization.

[Buddhas Hand]

I think its easier for them to remove Hamas than to add Israel..

Bibi would probably declare airstrikes on Europe if that happened.

We possess several hundred atomic warheads and rockets and can launch them at targets in all directions, perhaps even at Rome. Most European capitals are targets for our air force........martin van creveld

[Warhippy]

We possess several hundred atomic warheads and rockets and can launch them at targets in all directions, perhaps even at Rome. Most European capitals are targets for our air force........martin van creveld

Boy they sound like a peaceful nation don't they?

[taxi]

IMO it should still regarded as a terrorist organization... But this decision shows that justice still prevails in this world.

For far too long has Israel been able to do whatever it wants with minimal oversight or condemnation.

Now we might see equal playing fields..

Read the article next time.

Anyone who think Hamas is good for the Palestinian people is kidding themselves. The Palestinian Authority and Egypt also pushed for Hamas to be put on that list. Persecution of minorities, execution of political rivals, etc... I guess it's all good for you guys if Israel gets attacked too?

[drummer4now]

Well....I hate to once again mop the floor with your guys, but....

Hamas is still considered a terrorist organization. The courts did not rule on this issue. They took Hamas off the list for procedural reasons. It is still illegal to fund Hamas.

They found an error in the way the intial application against Hamas was brought. So they are forced to take Hamas off the list. The restrictions against Hamas carry on for 3 more months. During that time the application can be ammended, and if successful Hamas will be put back on the list permanently:

http://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/2014-12/cp140178en.pdf

This ruling in no way represents a change in the way the EU views Hamas, which is as a terrorist organization.

Really? I see no error in that pdf that suggests the initial application is incorrect.

According to BBC and other media outlets Hamas sent in a petition for this removal, and they have decided to take them off based on evidence.

top court of the European Union has annulled the bloc's decision to keep the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on a list of terrorist groups.

The decision had been based not on an examination of Hamas' actions, but on "factual imputations derived from the press and the internet",judges found.

The court said the move was technical and was not a reassessment of Hamas' classification as a terrorist group.

It said a funding freeze on the group would continue for the time being.

Hamas dominates Gaza and fought a 50-day war with Israel earlier this year. Under its charter, the movement is committed to Israel's destruction.

Responding to the ruling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas was a "murderous terrorist organisation" which should be put back on the list immediately.

Israel, the United States and several other nations have designated Hamas a terrorist organisation due to its long record of attacks and its refusal to renounce violence.

Hamas, which was founded in 1987, won Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006 and reinforced its power in Gaza the following year after ousting its Fatah rivals.

Its supporters see it as a legitimate resistance movement against Israel, with whom it has fought for years.

[taxi]

We possess several hundred atomic warheads and rockets and can launch them at targets in all directions, perhaps even at Rome. Most European capitals are targets for our air force........martin van creveld

Martin van Crevald is anti-war professor. What does this quote have to do with Israeli policy?

[taxi]

Really? I see no error in that pdf that suggests the initial application is incorrect.

According to BBC and other media outlets Hamas sent in a petition for this removal, and they have decided to take them off based on evidence.

Reading comprehension is not a strong suit here:

From the ruling:

"

In today’s judgment, the General Court finds that the contested measures are based not on acts examined and confirmed in decisions of competent authorities but on factual imputations derived from the press and the internet.

However, the Common Position and the case-law of the Court

4 requires that an EU decision to freeze funds is based not on factual elements that the Council may have derived from the press or the internet, but on elements which have been concretely examined and confirmed in decisions of national competent authorities within the meaning of the Common Position.

Therefore the Court annuls the contested measures

while temporarily maintaining the effects of those measures in order to ensure the effectiveness of any possible future freezing of funds. The effects of the measures are maintained for a period of three months, or, if an appeal is brought before the Court of Justice, until this appeal is closed. "

They are saying the initial application used internet and media evidence, but the law requires you to submit facts that were examined by "reasonable competent authorities". So you have to submit the evidence first to a lower authority and then to the EU.

The first sentence of the ruling:

The Court annuls, on procedural grounds, the Council measures maintaining Hamas on the European list of terrorist organisations

"

[Buddhas Hand]

Boy they sound like a peaceful nation don't they?

Friday night we'll be drinking Manischewitz

Going out to terrorize Goyim

Stomping shagitz, screwing shiksas

As long as we're home by Saturday morning

Cause hey, we're the Brews

Sporting anti-swastika tattoos

Oi Oi we're the boys

Orthodox, hesidic, O.G. Ois

Orthopedic, Dr. Martens good for

Waffle making, kicking through the shin

Reputation, gained through intimidation

Pacifism no longer tradition

Cause hey we're the Brews

Sporting anti-swastika tattoos

Oi Oi we're the Brews

The fairfax ghetto boys skinhead Hebrews

We got the might, psycho mashuganas

We can't lose a fight, as we are the chosen ones

Chutzpah driven, we battle then we feast

We celebrate, we'll separate our milkplates from our meat

We're the Brews

Sporting anti-swastika tattoos

Oi Oi we're the boys

Orthodox, hesidic, O.G. Ois

Mike Burkett who is a Jew

[DonLever]

Read the article next time.

Anyone who think Hamas is good for the Palestinian people is kidding themselves. The Palestinian Authority and Egypt also pushed for Hamas to be put on that list. Persecution of minorities, execution of political rivals, etc... I guess it's all good for you guys if Israel gets attacked too?

Egypt and Israel have both been accused of human rights violations by Amnesty International and other Human Right Organizations. They are hardly the model for good behaviour.

Persecution of minorites and execution of political rival occur in many places in the world but are they called terrorist organizations?