GAZA STRIP (Dispatches) – Palestinian resistance groups have condemned the Australian government’s announcement that it will designate the entire Hamas organization as a terror group, saying the “hostile” measure is in line with Zionist regime’s demands to criminalize the Palestinian nation’s resistance to the occupation of its territories.
Khalid al-Battash, a member of the political bureau of the Islamic Jihad movement, described the step as cruel and in conformity with the occupying regime’s requests to outlaw Palestinians’ struggle to liberate their lands and restore their legitimate and inalienable rights.
Battash stated that Australia’s decision will pave the way for Zionist regime officials to intensify their aggression against the Palestinian people and further violate international treaties and principles.
He noted that the designation would cover up the crimes of Zionist occupiers, especially in the occupied West Bank as well as the flashpoint Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Al-Quds.
The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) also called Australia’s decision a clear support for the occupying regime and its policies, stating that the Australian government, which is known to have an anti-Palestinian stance, should have considered the Tel Aviv regime’s crimes against Palestinians and the incessant killing of Palestinians.
Moreover, the Palestinian Mujahideen movement denounced the step as a continuation of the West’s aggression against Palestinians and the resistance front.
The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) also slammed Australia’s decision to list Hamas as terrorist.
The Palestinian People’s Party slammed the decision, calling it a clear allegiance to the regime and its aggressive policies.
Australia had previously listed Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades military wing as a “terror” group in 2003, but the new designation which will come into force in April, will list the organization in its entirety, including its political wing.
Hamas spokesman, Hazem Qassem, condemned the decision and called on the Australian government to present an apology to the Palestinian people.
“The planned move attests to the biased support for the occupying regime, and emboldens Israel to press ahead with its aggression against Palestinian people,” Qassem said.
He added, “Australia’s step is in contravention of all international principles and charters, which demand protection of the rights of Palestinians in the face of occupiers. Hamas is a national liberation movement that is fighting the occupier [the Zionist regime] in accordance with international law.”