New Zealand political figures called for the classification of Hamas as a "terrorist" to be accompanied by a similar classification for the Israeli army (Al Jazeera)
New Zealand on Thursday included the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and all its units on the list of "terrorist entities", and imposed a travel ban on "extremist" Israeli settlers who it said had launched violent attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said - in a statement - that the attack launched by Hamas on Israel in October "was brutal and we condemn it unequivocally."
But he added: "New Zealand wants to be clear that the inclusion of Hamas on the list relates to the actions of an external terrorist entity and does not reflect on the Palestinian people in Gaza and around the world."
New Zealand's terrorist entity list has included only the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, since 2010, but it has been reluctant to follow the lead of other Western countries in designating the entire movement, which enjoys broad support among Palestinians.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters said that the entire Hamas movement bears responsibility for the October attacks (Al-Aqsa Flood), which makes it difficult for the New Zealand government to distinguish between the movement’s military and political wings, as he put it.
New Zealand's decision criminalizes conducting property or financial transactions with Hamas or providing material support.
It also freezes any Hamas assets in New Zealand.
However, it does not prevent New Zealand from providing future humanitarian and development assistance to civilians in Gaza or providing consular support to New Zealand citizens or permanent residents in the conflict zone.
On the other hand, New Zealand political figures called for the classification of Hamas as a "terrorist" organization to be accompanied by a similar classification for the Israeli army due to the bombing campaign it launched for months in Gaza, which resulted in the deaths of more than 30,000 people, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
Although such a step is highly unlikely, New Zealand announced Thursday the imposition of sanctions on about 10 “extremist” Israeli settlers accused of committing acts of violence against Palestinians.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters said: "We are imposing a travel ban on a number of people known to have committed violent acts. These individuals will not be able to travel to New Zealand."
The names of the individuals were not revealed publicly.
Source: Agencies