Germany announces complete Hamas ban, dissolves pro-Palestinian group
Germany moved to ban Samidoun after it posted celebrations of Hamas’ attack on Israel and with both the German public and the EU divided over the war.
Germany announced on Thursday a ban on all Hamas activities, as well as those of the Palestinian prisoner solidarity group Samidoun, the interior minister said.
"With Hamas, I have today completely banned the activities of a terrorist organization whose aim is to destroy the state of Israel," Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a statement. The European Union, of which Germany is a member, designated Hamas a terrorist organization in 2001, during the second intifada.
Faeser added that the ban would encompass Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network. The group's German wing will be dissolved, according to the statement.
Although Hamas has already been designated a terrorist organization in the EU, Germany's ban establishes the legal framework in the country to fully halt its activities. The measure makes support for both Hamas and Samidoun a criminal offense, allows authorities to confiscate their assets and outlaws their internet presence, according to the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
