Hamas leaders
© mei.eduHamas leader Ismail Haniyeh (center-right)
The Islamic Palestinian movement, Hamas, hailed on Friday a European court decision to remove it from the world's terrorist list, a statement confirms. Hamas spokesman, Hazim Qassim, declared in the statement that the decision:
"is positive and a right step in the right direction. We hope that this decision will lead to completely remove the name of the movement from any unjust list. Resisting the Israeli occupation is legal according to the international conventions and laws. Classifying Hamas or any of the Palestinian resistance factions as terrorist organisations is completely unjust and not fair for the legal struggle of the Palestinian people against the occupation."
The Hamas official reiterated that this movement "will continue practicing its right to defend the Palestinian people and protect them until the achievement of their freedom and the right to establish an independent Palestinian state."

Hamas's statement came following a press release made by Hamas lawyer, Khalid Al-Showly, in which he announced:
"the European Court of First Instance in Luxembourg decided on Thursday to remove the Hamas movement, and its armed wing Al-Qassam Brigades, from the world's list of terrorism."
Al-Showly explained that the decision of the court is not final, but the previous decisions on the reinsertion of Hamas and its military wing on terrorist lists "are null and void".

Regarding the importance of this ruling, Al-Showly stated that "Hamas is the party which challenged these decisions and the importance of this ruling is that it is nullifying these decisions."

In such cases, to be unlisted from a blacklist is a long process with many challenges against decisions being taken on political grounds.