Egyptian court declares Hamas a 'terrorist organization'

[Lite Beer]

Egyptian court declares Hamas a 'terrorist organization'
By BRIAN ROHAN and FARES AKRAM

CAIRO (AP) — An Egyptian court declared Hamas a "terrorist organization" on Saturday, further isolating the blockaded rulers of the Gaza Strip once openly welcomed by the country's toppled Islamist-dominated government.

The ruling is unlikely to have any immediate effect on Hamas, still reeling from last summer's war with Israel and choked by an Israeli-Egyptian blockade set up in 2007. Moussa Abu Marzouk, Hamas' No. 2 leader, is based in Cairo and is receiving medical treatment there, members of the group say.

The move underlines Egypt's increasing hostility to Hamas, which the court blamed for violence in the country's restive Sinai Peninsula. The secretive movement, founded in Gaza in 1987 as an offshoot of the region's Egyptian-originated Muslim Brotherhood, faces a growing cash crunch and has yet to lay out a strategy to extract Gaza from its increasingly dire situation.

"There is no doubt that Hamas is being pushed into the corner further and further," said Mkhaimar Abu Sada, a political science professor at Gaza's Al Azhar University. Hamas' relationship with Cairo has "reached a point of no return" and is unlikely to be salvaged, he said.

The ruling Saturday by Judge Mohamed el-Sayed of the Court For Urgent Matters said Hamas had targeted both civilians and security forces inside the Sinai Peninsula, and that the group aimed to harm the country. Sinai has been under increasing attack by extremists since the Egyptian military ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in 2013.

"It has been proven without any doubt that the movement has committed acts of sabotage, assassinations and the killing of innocent civilians and members of the armed forces and police in Egypt," the court wrote, according to state news agency MENA.

The ruling said that Hamas' fighters had used heavy weapons against the army, and that the group was colluding with the Muslim Brotherhood, which Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has described as the root of extremism. Morsi belonged to the Brotherhood.

"It has been also ascertained with documents that (Hamas) has carried out bombings that have taken lives and destroyed institutions and targeted civilians and the armed forces personnel," the ruling said. "This movement works for the interests of the terrorist Brotherhood organization."

On its official website, Hamas called the decision a "shocking and dangerous" one that targeted the Palestinian people.

"This decision is a great shame and sullies the reputation of Egypt. It is a desperate attempt to export the internal Egyptian crisis and will have no effect on the position of Hamas which enjoys the respect of all the people and leaders of the nation," the statement read.

In Gaza, Hamas official Mushir al-Masri condemned the decision and urged Egypt to reverse course.

"This ruling serves the Israeli occupation. It's a politicized decision that constitutes the beginning of Egypt evading its role toward the Palestinian cause," he said. "This is a coup against history and an Egyptian abuse of the Palestinian cause and resistance, which fights on behalf of the Arab nation. We call on Egypt to reconsider this dangerous decision."

An Egyptian court banned Hamas' military wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, and designated it a terrorist organization just last month. In 2014, a similar ruling in the same court banned all Hamas activities in Egypt and ordered the closure of any Hamas offices, though the order apparently was never carried out. Government officials in Egypt did not respond to requests for comment on Saturday's ruling.

Hamas seized the Gaza Strip by force in 2007. Since then, it has fought three wars with Israel, the latest last summer killing some 2,200 Palestinians and 72 on the Israeli side, according to the United Nations.

Since a major attack on security forces last October, the Egyptian army has been clearing a buffer zone on the frontier with Gaza in an attempt to destroy a cross-border network of tunnels.

Hamas considers the tunnels an economic lifeline, at one point earning an estimated $500 million from taxing Egyptian imports. Cheap fuel, cement and other supplies from Egypt also powered Gaza's economy, particularly the local construction industry which employed several tens of thousands.

That dried up after Morsi's 2013 ouster. Egypt's new government now sees the tunnels as a two-way smuggling route for guns and fighters.

Earlier this month, Egyptian security officials said they had found and shut down the largest-ever tunnel leading into Gaza, a 2.5-kilometer (1.5-mile) passageway they said was used to smuggle weapons used in attacks on security forces.

The crackdown has been accompanied by Egypt's closure of the Rafah border crossing — the main gateway for Gazans to the outside world. That's left Gaza's population of 1.8 million people largely unable to travel abroad.

Hamas officials have said they believe Egypt is trying to crush their organization, but have refused to be quoted by name for fear that criticism of the el-Sissi government would invite further sanctions.

Mohammed Hijazi, a Gaza-based analyst, said the court ruling can be appealed. However, he cautioned that both sides needed each other.

"At the end of the day, Egypt needs to deal with Hamas because Hamas is a main player in the Palestinian arena and one day Egypt will find itself in a position to talk to Hamas if it wants to play a role in the Palestinian issue," he said.

___

Akram reported from Gaza City, Gaza Strip. Associated Press writers Karin Laub in Jericho, West Bank, Mohammed Daraghmeh in Ramallah, West Bank, and Maamoun Youssef in Cairo contributed to this report.

-- (c) Associated Press 2015-03-01

[NeverSure]

Wait. This can't be. Hamas is just a misunderstood bunch of schoolboys and it's all the USA's Israel's fault. This has nothing to do with Egypt.

(I actually hope Egypt kicks the shirt out of them which is what they deserve.)

[MW72]

Good to see critisism of Hamas from a neighbouring Arab/Muslim country. Looks like they have bitten one of the hands that previously fed them.

[Thorgal]

Good to see critisism of Hamas from a neighbouring Arab/Muslim country. Looks like they have bitten one of the hands that previously fed them.

Egypt is doing very good business with Israel since...2004...and that's why Hamas became a mutual enemy...

Egypt/Israeli friendship is also based on controlled border between Gaza and Egypt.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/tensions-aside-israel-and-egypt-do-booming-business/

[Chicog]

Military dictatorship criticises ally of democratic opposition party.

Oh how I laughed.

[hawker9000]

Military dictatorship criticises ally of democratic opposition party.

Oh how I laughed.

"Oh how I laughed."

You think terrorist groups like Hamas are funny? (Their myriad atrocities are itemized right there in the article.)

Sick. Very sick.

[Mosha]

Military dictatorship criticises ally of democratic opposition party.

Oh how I laughed.

Do you mean this democratic opposition?

http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2014/04/27/al-qaeda-chief-declares-solidarity-muslim-brotherhood-urges-followers-kidnap-westerners/

[Tecumseh]

No, no they're misunderstood freedom fighters!

[Credo]

Good to see critisism of Hamas from a neighbouring Arab/Muslim country. Looks like they have bitten one of the hands that previously fed them.

Egypt is doing very good business with Israel since...2004...and that's why Hamas became a mutual enemy...

Egypt/Israeli friendship is also based on controlled border between Gaza and Egypt.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/tensions-aside-israel-and-egypt-do-booming-business/

Or maybe, just maybe, it has less to do with friendship and more to do with Egypt actually believing that Hamas is a terrorist organization.

Egypt and Israel have come common concerns, but I would hardly thing that Egypt would back Israel against an Arab group.

[MW72]

Military dictatorship criticises ally of democratic opposition party.

Oh how I laughed.

Do you mean this democratic opposition?

http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2014/04/27/al-qaeda-chief-declares-solidarity-muslim-brotherhood-urges-followers-kidnap-westerners/

The linked article is about Ayman Al-Zawahiri and not the Muslim Brotherhood. He may talk about and support the Muslim Brotherhood but he isn't a representative of them. I am sure there would be better articles that would show why the Muslim Brotherhood were not the ideal government of Egypt in the eyes of the west.

The Muslim Brotherhood were democratically elected albeit they didn't govern in a democratic way but that is who the Egyptian public voted for. Many would argue much the same with Yingluck and the PTP. The same could be said for most democratic governments. Voted by the people but they really only look after the people at the top and pay lip service to the ordinary voter.

[Chicog]

Military dictatorship criticises ally of democratic opposition party.

Oh how I laughed.

"Oh how I laughed."

You think terrorist groups like Hamas are funny? (Their myriad atrocities are itemized right there in the article.)

Sick. Very sick.

Yes, of course the 1,000-odd Egyptians this junta murdered in just one incident, not to mention the thousands they have imprisoned without trial, make them the perfect arbiters of terror.

But don't let little things like facts or irony stifle your fake indignation, will you?

[Steely Dan]

I'm starting to like Al-Sisi, he appears to have both the guts and understanding of Islamists in all their guises.

http://app.debka.com/p/article/24431/Egypt-goes-to-war-on-ISIS-masses-troops-against-Islamist-Libyan-stronghold-at-Darnah

[NeverSure]

I'm not sure I like any muslim until I see he's anti extremist, and not just defending his own turf. These people have been fighting each other a long time.

Where are all of these so-called moderates when these bastards are beheading and burning people in other countries which don't affect them?

[hawker9000]

I'm not sure I like any muslim until I see he's anti extremist, and not just defending his own turf. These people have been fighting each other a long time.

Where are all of these so-called moderates when these bastards are beheading and burning people in other countries which don't affect them?

Ans: They're electing the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, something we're all supposed to be totally onboard with...

[Srikcir]

I'm not sure I like any muslim until I see he's anti extremist, and not just defending his own turf. These people have been fighting each other a long time.

Where are all of these so-called moderates when these bastards are beheading and burning people in other countries which don't affect them?

Didn't Egypt attack ISIL over the beheading of Egyptian Christian Coptis? That was for revenge, not turf. In the next 6 months we may see Muslim boots on the ground from Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Turkey, Jordon, etc. against ISIL.

[hawker9000]

I'm not sure I like any muslim until I see he's anti extremist, and not just defending his own turf. These people have been fighting each other a long time.

Where are all of these so-called moderates when these bastards are beheading and burning people in other countries which don't affect them?

Didn't Egypt attack ISIL over the beheading of Egyptian Christian Coptis? That was for revenge, not turf. In the next 6 months we may see Muslim boots on the ground from Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Turkey, Jordon, etc. against ISIL.

"... may see ..."

Pin pricks so far. Nothing carrying much risk of stirring up the "mainstream" muslim populations, who I think actually harbor much less antipathy toward ISIL, and Islamic extremism generally, than we in the west would like to think. Yes, I suppose anything is theoretically possible in six months...a year...or three.... Even if something meaningful DOES happen, why did it take so long? Is it because of genuine outrage over the hijacking and profaning of their religion? Or was it just not much of an issue until ISIL finally grew to the point where their own turf was coming under perceived threat?

[Seastallion]

No, no they're misunderstood freedom fighters!

Correct.

[Mosha]

They've opened a twitter account #AskHamas . It's not going well. 555

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/03/12/hamass-askhamas-twitter-campaign-is-being-mocked-and-it-hasnt-even-started-yet/?utm_content=bufferacb64&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

I liked the Why did you let Tony Blair go?

[Seastallion]

Egypt is wrong about the declaration. Had they taken the same stance as the UK, NZ, Australia, Canada and a host of other wise countries, they would have more correctly declared Hamas NOT a terrorist organisation but the autonomous military wing of Hamas one.

I smell Israeli and US influence in this decision.

[Steely Dan]

Egypt is wrong about the declaration. Had they taken the same stance as the UK, NZ, Australia, Canada and a host of other wise countries, they would have more correctly declared Hamas NOT a terrorist organisation but the autonomous military wing of Hamas one.

I smell Israeli and US influence in this decision.

What's new? You smell Israeli influence in everything that goes wrong with your imagined utopia, all you need is a peg to hang your tinfoil hat on.

[Scott]

Off-topic, inflammatory posts and replies removed.