EU: Hamas Will Stay on Terror List
Charles Johnson
Tue Apr 19, 2005 at 10:51 am PDT • Views: 142
Here’s a real shock, a European Union official with some guts: EU: Hamas will not be removed from list of terror organizations. (Hat tip: zulubaby.)
The European Union will not consider removing Hamas from its list of terrorist organizations so long as it refrains from demonstrating “respect for human rights,” European security commissioner Franco Frattini told the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera on Tuesday.
Frattini told Corriere della Sera the EU “cannot give Hamas a blank check” and said the organization has not changed its character since 2003 - when the EU initially designated it a terrorist organization. “It’s an enormous problem, even its educational foundations incite violence against Israel. One just has to look at some of their school programs. Or they continue to provide financial aid to relatives of young kamikazes. These are all things that we cannot remain silent on,” he told the paper.
Frattini also said Hamas “is attempting a stunt to make itself acceptable as a candidate in Palestinian elections.”
But this relatively clear thinking only goes so far:
Frattini said he does not oppose Hamas’ participation in Palestinian elections but said the EU is not able to support the process without first receiving guarantees from Hamas.
Guarantees from Hamas are worth less than Enron stock.
Frank says: