(Reuters) Australia on Friday listed the entire Palestinian Islamist group Hamas as a terrorist organisation, calling the move a deterrent to political and religious violence and bringing Australia in line with the United States, the European Union and Britain.
Australia had for two decades proscribed Hamas’s paramilitary wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, as a terrorist organisation but flagged last month that it wanted to upgrade the listing to the whole organisation, a process that involved consulting Australia’s state and territory leaders.
The change puts Australia into lockstep with its allies, which have also been moving to tighten their opposition to the Gaza ruling body, citing its access to sophisticated weaponry and terrorist training facilities.
