Executing Egypt’s court decision to list Hamas as a terrorist organisation is “the biggest mistake against the Palestinian resistance”, the group said in a statement on Wednesday through its spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri’s Facebook page.
On Saturday, the Cairo Court for Urgent Matters ruled Hamas a terrorist organisation. The ruling comes a month after the group’s military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, was also designated a terror group by the same court.
Minister of Justice Mahfouz Saber on Tuesday said that the ministry, in a step towards executing a court decision, will freeze all assets and property belonging to the movement in Egypt and will also arrest any member who is part of the group.
“Hamas considers that the ministry of justice’s execution of the court ruling an offense against Egypt and its reputation and that the court decision an abandonment of any role that Egypt can play as a mediator in the Palestinian files,” the statement read.
Saber also stressed that according to the evidence that the court relied upon, Hamas is currently an organisation that “harms the national security of the state” and thus was labelled as a terrorist organisation.
The group has called on Egypt to “revaluate the situation” in light of the overwhelming resentment that exists among the nation as a result of the Egyptian court’s decision.
Abu Zuhri also commented on Saturday saying that “The Egyptian court decision…is shocking, critical and targets the Palestinian people and Palestinian resistance forces.”
The relationship between Egypt’s authorities and Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood’s sister organisation in Gaza, soured after the ouster of Egyptian Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
It was reported that Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) secretary-general Ramadan Shallah visited Cairo on Sunday to discuss the situation of the Rafah-Gaza border with Egyptian officials, as Egypt reportedly demanded that all Hamas staff cease communication with the countries officials.
Egypt has accused Hamas of meddling into its internal affairs and supporting Islamist insurgents in Sinai.
Hamas has denied these accusations.
Egypt’s cabinet declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group in December 2013, and the authorities have since charged many Brotherhood members with offences including supporting terrorism.
Source: Ahram Online
