(Middle East Eye) Supporters of Hamas should be treated the same as supporters of the Islamic State group and subjected to the full force of the law, a contentious review of the UK government’s Prevent counter-extremism strategy has recommended.
William Shawcross’s review, which was published on Wednesday, called for a greater focus within Prevent on countering “Islamist terrorism,” which he said remained the largest threat facing the UK.
Shawcross said the support network around Hamas, which he described as “the Islamist terrorist group which controls Gaza and is committed to the destruction of Israel,” warranted attention.
The British government proscribed Hamas in its entirety as a terrorist organisation in November 2021, meaning that anyone who expresses support for the Palestinian militant group could face up to 10 years in prison.
