Top EU court upholds Hamas terror listing, rejecting Palestinian group's appeal to be removed

The appeal was carried as evidence from the United States and United Kingdom had supported the original decision.
1 min read
26 July, 2017
A parade of Hamas' military wing in Gaza's Khan Younis camp on July 20 [Anadolu]
The European Court of Justice ruled on Wednesday that Hamas would remain on the European Council’s terror list.

The court overruled a lower court’s ruling, which found in December 2014 the Palestinian Islamist group could be removed from the list as the designation was not based on an independent investigation.

The European Council appealed that decision, arguing the court "was wrong in its assessment of the way in which the Council relied on information in the public domain".

Wednesday’s ruling found that Hamas should stay on the list, as evidence from the United States and United Kingdom had supported the original decision.

Hamas, the de facto government of Gaza since 2006, has been listed as a proscribed organisation since 2001, following the 9/11 attacks in the United States.