Jordanian lawmakers slam UK terror label of Hamas

AMMAN, Jordan

Jordanian lawmakers on Sunday denounced a British decision to designate Palestinian resistance group Hamas as a "terrorist organization".

In a statement, 75 members of the 130-seat House of Representatives described the British move as "an aggression on the Palestinian people and the Arab nation."

The statement said the UK decision was a “reward to the Zionist (Israeli) occupation which kills the Palestinian people…and besieges the people of Gaza."

The MPs called on the UK Parliament to overturn the government move as “it represents siding with [Israeli] aggression and oppression."

On Friday, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel said she had banned Hamas as a “terrorist” organization.

The decision, which will be pushed in the UK Parliament next week, could see Hamas supporters and activists face jail terms of up to 14 years.

Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, slammed the UK ban as "continued aggression" on Palestinians and their rights.

The UK has banned Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, as a terrorist organization in 2001, but did not include the group’s political bureau within the designation.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara