HAMAS WELCOMES EGYPT DECISION TO APPEAL ‘TERROR’ RULING

Gaza, 21 Jumadil Awwal 1436/12 March 2015 (MINA) – Palestinian resistance faction Hamas has welcomed a decision by Egypt’s State Lawsuits Authority, the government’s legal arm, to appeal a ruling by a local court labeling it a “terrorist organization.”

“The move is a step in the right direction and a political admission by the authorities in Egypt that the ruling was a major mistake and should be rectified,” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told The Anadolu Agency.

“We hope to see the appeal accepted so that the ruling’s implications are reversed,” he added, reiterating that the group did not interfere in the domestic affairs of any Arab country, including Egypt, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting, Thurday (12/3).

Earlier Wednesday, the State Lawsuits Authority filed the appeal with Cairo’s Court for Urgent Matters, which set March 28 to begin hearing it.

The same court late last month designated Hamas a “terrorist” group over claims that it had carried out attacks in Egypt via tunnels linking the Sinai Peninsula to the blockaded Gaza Strip.

Hamas, which has strenuously denied the claims, denounced the court decision as “shocking” and politically motivated.

One year ago, the same Egyptian court outlawed Hamas’ activities in Egypt and seized the group’s Cairo offices.

Also last month, an Egyptian court likewise declared the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, a “terrorist” organization.

Relations between Egypt and Hamas deteriorated remarkably following the ouster by the Egyptian army of elected President Mohamed Morsi in July of 2013.

A number of Hamas members have been among the defendants in two trials that Morsi a Muslim Brotherhood leader currently faces for alleged espionage and jailbreak.

Egypt’s media blames Hamas, an ideological offshoot of Morsi’s Brotherhood, for a series of deadly attacks on security forces that have occurred since Morsi’s ouster. Hamas has consistently denied the allegations. (T/P002/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)