Thank you to those constituents who have contacted me about Hamas.
As you may know, Hamas' military wing has been proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the UK since 2001 and is listed in Schedule 2 of the Terrorism Act 2000. The UK maintains a no-contact policy with the group in its entirety.
I share the Government's position that the Hamas ideology is unacceptable and I strongly condemn all acts of terrorism.
I appreciate concerns about the political wing of Hamas. I understand the political wing of Hamas is not proscribed as it is considered that there is a clear distinction between Hamas’s military and political wings.
In distinguishing between the political and military wings for the purposes of proscription, the Government's aim is to proscribe only those parts of Hamas which are directly concerned in terrorism.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
