The United States on Jan. 31 added the head of Hamas' political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, to its list of Specially Designated Terrorists. "Haniyeh has close links with Hamas’ military wing and has been a proponent of armed struggle, including against civilians,” announced the US State Department. “He has reportedly been involved in terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens. Hamas has been responsible for an estimated 17 American lives killed in terrorist attacks.”
The State Department has another list that includes 61 organizations designated as “terrorist groups.” Hamas was added to the list in October 1997, following the suicide attacks in Israel after the targeted killing of “The Engineer” Yahya Ayyash in January 1996. In the same year, additional Palestinian organizations were added to the list, such as Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
