EU moves to blacklist Hamas
The European Union foreign ministers have decided to blacklist and freeze the assets of the political wing of the Palestinian group Hamas.
The US welcomed the decision.
US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said in a statement: “We welcome the political decision of the European Union Foreign Ministers.
“This is an important step in halting the financing of terrorist activities.”
25 EU foreign ministers met this weekend at Riva del Garda, the northern lakeside town in Italy, to discuss the increasingly perilous situation for coalition troops in Iraq, the derailed “road map” for peace in the Middle East and the shredded EU draft constitution.
The decision came on the day that Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas tendered his resignation, according to his chief negotiator.
Hours after Israeli troops tried to kill Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the spiritual leader of the movement Hamas.
Mr Yassin suffered a light injury to his hand after an air-to-ground missile hit a building he had just left in Gaza City. Fifteen others were also hurt.
Hamas vowed to revenge the attack.
Israel has stepped up targeted attacks on militants after Hamas claimed responsibility for the bus bomb attack in Jerusalem on August 19 that killed 22 people.
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said there was “complete agreement” among ministers about the move.
