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UK moves to label Hamas as terror organization

Home Secretary Priti Patel described Hamas as "fundamentally and rabidly anti-Semitic" and said there's no difference between its military and political wings.

MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images
A man walks past a mural depicting Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas' late spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in Gaza City on Nov. 19, 2021. — MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images

The British government is set to designate Hamas as a terrorist organization, joining the United States, Canada and the European Union in fully banning the Palestinian militant group

The group’s military wing the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades has been banned in the United Kingdom since 2001, but not Hamas’ political wing. Home Secretary Priti Patel said there’s no difference between the two and wrote on Twitter Friday that she had “acted to proscribe Hamas in its entirety.” The ban still needs parliament approval, which is expected within the week. 

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