Europe’s ‘Good Terrorists’: Because They Might Destroy Israel?

A spokesman for Hamas pleaded with Europe’s elite to understand that they had nothing to fear from the group’s terrorists because – get this – their terror attacks aren’t aimed at Europeans, but rather Israel.

What a comfort.

And this, the response from the European Court of Justice, is even more of an outrage. The EJC basically said OK, go for it – take out Israel.

Here’s the story, from a writer with the Gatestone Institute’s Internaional Policy Council:

“Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri would like the Europeans to understand that they need not worry about terrorism by the Islamist movement because the attacks will be directed only against Israel.

“The European Court of Justice (EJC) is sending the message to Hamas that Europeans see no problem with Hamas’s desire to destroy Israel and continue to launch terrorist attacks against Jews. This message also undermines those Palestinians who still believe in a peace with Israel.

“The EJC recommendation to remove Hamas from the EU’s terrorism blacklist comes at a time when countries such as Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and even Saudi Arabia, as well as the Palestinian Authority, are doing their utmost to weaken Hamas.”

Talk about an appeasement.

And as the Gatestone Institute went on:

“Appeasing terrorists is a dangerous game: it has already backfired on its foolhardy players and will continue to do so. This is exactly how Muslims conquered Iran, Turkey, North Africa and much of Europe, including Hungary, Greece, Poland, Romania, and the Balkans — countries that still recall a real “occupation,” an Islamist one, and abundantly want none of it.

“The EU and the ECJ need to be stopped before they do any more harm to Palestinians, Christians and Jews – or to Europe.”

Those are just the bullet points of the matter by Gatestone. The institute has some harsh opinions to offer as well.

From the writer, Khaled Abu Toameh:

“Once again, the Europeans seem to be in Alice’s Wonderland when they consider Palestinian affairs in particular and the Middle East in general. The renewed attempt by the European Union to remove the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas from its terrorism list is a case in point.

“Recently, an advisor to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) recommended that Hamas be removed from the EU’s terrorism blacklist. In 2014, the EU’s second-highest court ruled that Hamas should be taken off the list on ‘technical’ grounds. It argued that Hamas’s listing was not based on evidence, but on ‘factual imputations derived from the press and the internet.’

“However, the European Council then appealed this judgement, arguing that Hamas should remain on the terrorism blacklist, citing a 2001 decision by the UK and the US that designated both Hamas and the Tamil Tigers as terrorist groups. But the recent opinion by the ECJ advisor dismisses this argument. “The council cannot rely on facts and evidence found in press articles and information from the internet,” Advocate General Eleanor Sharpton said. She explained that the council could not rely on terrorist listings by countries (the UK and US) outside the EU.

“This latest highly dangerous European attempt to strike Hamas from the terrorism blacklist will, as the EU knows perfectly well, only serve further to embolden the Islamist movement to replace Israel with an Islamic empire.

“Removing Hamas from the terrorism list would obviously be seen as a severe blow to Hamas’s rivals in the Western-backed and funded Palestinian Authority (PA), and to the efforts to revive any peace process between the Palestinians and Israel.

“As this is not the EU’s first attempt to do this, it is hard not to conclude what many Palestinians have suspected all along: that the EU and its affiliates do not care if the Palestinians and others in the area are overrun by Hamas terrorists and are forced to live under the rule of despotic Islamist militants.”

And it’s not as if Hamas even puts out a front as a peaceful organization. The group’s members are pretty blunt about their goals.

As Khaled Abu Toameh noted:

“In a statement marking the first anniversary of the anti-Israel attacks, which is being referred to by many Palestinians as the ‘Jerusalem Intifada,’ Hamas said this week that the wave of terrorism will not stop ‘until the occupation is driven out of Jerusalem, the West Bank and all Palestine.’ Reiterating its refusal to recognize the ‘Zionist Entity’s’ right to exist, Hamas said that the Palestinians maintain the right to ‘resistance in all its forms.’ …

“Further evidence of Hamas’s intentions and policies was provided by another leader of the movement, Mahmoud Zahar, who assured supporters in the Gaza Strip last week that Hamas will never recognize Israel’s right to exist. ‘We will not give up one inch of the land of Palestine to the Israeli entity,’ Zahar declared. He then praised Palestinians for using ‘stones and knives’ to attack Jews.

“These are only some of the recent statements by Hamas leaders and spokesmen that leave no room for doubt as to the movement’s intentions to continue using terrorism as a means to destroy Israel.”

What part of the “take out Israel at all costs” messaging of Hamas is not clear?

Khaled Abu Toamen’s right:

“The EU and the ECJ need to be stopped before they do any more harm to Palestinians, Christians and Jews – or to Europe.”