In what could be seen as a show of evenhandedness, Wellington simultaneously sanctioned alleged Jewish extremists in Judea and Samaria.
New Zealand on Thursday declared that in light of Hamas’ horrific massacre of 1,200 people during its surprise invasion of Israel almost five months ago, it now considers all of Hamas to be a terrorist organization.
“The terrorist attacks by Hamas in October 2023 were brutal and we have unequivocally condemned them,” Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said.
“What happened on 7 October reinforces we can no longer distinguish between the military and political wings of Hamas. The organization as a whole bears responsibility for these horrific terrorist attacks,” added his foreign minister, Winston Peters, in the joint statement.
Wellington had previously made a distinction between Hamas’ military and political wings, outlawing the military side in 2010.
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