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The Australian government has today announced that it will proscribe Hamas as a terrorist organisation in its entirety.
Australian Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews explained there is “no place” for hateful ideology in Australia, and it is key that the laws “target not only terrorist acts and terrorists, but also the organisations that plan, finance, and carry out these acts”.
The country proscribed Hamas’s military wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassem Brigades, in 2003, but the designation did not extend to the terror group’s so-called political arm. Today’s announcement means that Australia has now joined several countries, including Israel and the UK, that define the whole of Hamas as a terrorist organisation.
The move has been welcomed by Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Yair Lapid and Israel’s Defence Minister Benny Gantz who all tweeted their support and thanks.
Prime Minister Bennett said: “I welcome the news that Australia will list Hamas as a terrorist organisation in its entirety. Thank you to my friend Prime Minister Scott Morrison for following through on our dialogue on this important matter. This is another important step in the global fight against terrorism”.
Mr Lapid commended Australia “for its important decision to declare the entirety of Hamas as a terrorist organisation”, and Mr Gantz reiterated the comments and added that “Hamas targets civilians, threatens the State of Israel, and holds Gaza residents hostage”.
In November 2021, the UK Government proscribed Hamas as a terrorist organisation in its entirety, with Home Secretary Priti Patel confirming that the UK “can no longer disaggregate” the group’s so-called military and political wings.
