Top EU court says Hamas shouldn’t have been taken off terror list

The European Union’s top court has said a lower court should not have removed the Islamic terror group Hamas from the EU’s terror list and has sent the case back for reconsideration.

The EU originally listed Hamas as a terror group in 2001, a move that froze the assets of the organisation in the European Union.

However, the decision was annulled on procedural grounds by an EU court in 2014.

The EU launched an appeal and Wednesday’s ruling said the 2014 annulment was wrong and must now be reconsidered.

However, it added that Hamas funds will continue to be frozen pending the outcome of the reconsideration.

In May, Hamas issued a new policy document in a bid to rebrand itself with softer positions. In the new document, Hamas said it accepts a Palestinian state alongside Israel, a departure from the founding charter which envisioned that state in place of a defeated Israel.

At the same time, Hamas also upheld its right of armed resistance against the Israeli occupation, noting that its fight is against occupation, not Jews.