New Zealand designates entirety of Hamas as 'terrorist entity', sanctions 'extremist Israelis'

New Zealand has designated Hamas in its entirety as a terrorist entity, saying after the October 7 attacks it can no longer distinguish between the military and political wings of the Palestinian Islamist group.

The military wing of Hamas was designated as a terrorist entity by New Zealand in 2010.

New Zealand has also imposed travel bans on “extremist” Israeli settlers whom it said had committed violent attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank.

‘Hamas as a whole bears responsibility’

“What happened on October 7 reinforces we can no longer distinguish between the military and political wings of Hamas. The organisation as a whole bears responsibility for these horrific terrorist attacks,” New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters said.

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In a statement, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said, “New Zealand wants to be clear that the designation of Hamas is about the actions of an offshore terrorist entity and is not a reflection on the Palestinian people in Gaza and around the world.”

Luxon further said the attacks by Hamas on Israel on October 7 “were brutal and we have unequivocally condemned them.”

New Zealand joins US to impose travel bans

New Zealand has joined the US and other nations, issuing travel bans against a number of “extremist Israeli settlers," cracking down on individuals who commit violent attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank.

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New Zealand’s consistent position is that Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are a violation of international law, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement on Thursday.

PM Luxon said he’s “seriously concerned by the significant increase in extremist violence perpetrated by Israeli settlers” against Palestinians in recent months.

“This is particularly destabilising in what is already a major crisis,” he added.

“Settlements undermine the prospects for a viable two-state solution,” PM Luxon said. “Recent statements by some Israeli ministers about plans for further settlement construction are of serious concern and will raise tensions further between Israelis and Palestinians.”

US President Joe Biden, earlier this month, had signed an executive order allowing his country to impose more sanctions on Israeli settlers — and possibly government officials — involved in violence against Palestinians, while the UK also issued a travel ban and imposed financial sanction against four Israeli settlers.

With inputs from agencies