US pressure on Hamas risks new era of enmity
As Washington moves forward on sanctions to pressure Hamas to accept a US-brokered deal with Israel, the efforts could backfire and spark new violence.
The US House of Representatives passed a bill to impose sanctions on Hamas Feb. 15. Devised by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, the bill deems Hamas' use of human shields in fighting with Israel an act of terrorism and a violation of human rights. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump is calling on the US delegation to the United Nations to work on a resolution to impose international sanctions on Hamas.
The House bill needs to be submitted for a vote in the Senate, then signed by the president before it becomes law.
Hamas responded in a statement condemning the bill as promotion of Israeli propaganda, saying it could be used to justify more violations against Palestinians.
Osama Abu Rashid, a US-based Palestinian researcher at Doha’s Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, told Al-Monitor in a phone call, “There are no signs pointing toward a straightforward American escalation against Hamas.”
