Terror list removal may soften Hamas
Hamas might be looking to tone down its rhetoric to translate its recent legal victory into political progress.
Hamas has been in a state of euphoria since Dec. 17, when the European Union’s General Court decided to remove it from the EU's list of terrorist organizations, where it had spent 11 years.
Immediately after the EU decision, which is subject to appeal, Hamas leaders rushed to welcome it. Chief among them was Khaled Meshaal, head of Hamas’ political bureau, who said Dec. 17 that the decision is a step in the right direction and corrects a previous mistake. He said including Hamas on the list was not based on objective facts and conflicted with the right of peoples to resist occupation. According to Meshaal, since Hamas’ establishment 27 years ago, the movement has conducted nothing but legitimate resistance against the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.
