Iranian Parliament Deplores Egyptian Verdict against Hamas

The Iranian legislature in a statement issued on Wednesday strongly condemned an Egyptian court ruling that designated the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, as a “terrorist organization”.

The statement, read by member of the Parliament’s Presiding Board Alireza Monadi at the end of the open session of the parliament this morning, underlined firm support for the Palestinian resistance and the Palestinian Jihadi groups’ fight against the “Zionist enemy”.

It also strongly condemned the Egyptian court ruling that designated the Islamic Resistance Movement of Hamas as a “terrorist” group.

The parliament’s Palestine and Islamic Resistance Fraction also issued a similar statement yesterday to condemn the blacklisting of Hamas by Cairo.

“The ruling is a dangerous move of hypocrisy to falsify the truth, and attacks the values respected by the Islamic Ummah,” the Tuesday statement said.

“The measure cannot be accepted by any freedom-seeking person, specially people’s representatives in the Islamic and revolutionary country of Iran,” it added.

Protesting at the ruling, the Iranian legislators said defending the Resistance movement meant defending the political values, and called on the Egyptian government to separate the Palestinian issue from its internal conditions and play a principled role in supporting the innocent Palestinian people, as done by the Egyptian people since the start of the Palestinian crisis.

Meantime, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham also condemned the court decision, and cautioned Cairo to avoid moves which could pave the ground for the Israeli regime’s misuse.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian had also earlier condemned the Egyptian court rulings against both against Hamas and Ikhwan al-Muslimoun (Muslim Brotherhood).

“Hamas is not a terrorist organization (but) Tel Aviv is an illegitimate and terrorist regime paralyzed against resistance groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad,” Amir Abdollahian said on Sunday.

Meantime, he stressed that Iran strongly condemned terrorism in every form and every place from Egypt to Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Africa and Europe, and added, “Ikhwan al-Muslimoun is a part of the existing reality in Egypt and we should separate dissident political groups from terrorism through a realistic view.”

Amir Abdollahian underlined that “any side which embarks on terrorist actions will be hated by the world people”.

His remarks came after an Egyptian court branded the Palestinian Hamas resistance group a “terrorist” organization.

From Gaza City, Hamas reacted by condemning the ruling, calling the act as “a great disgrace which soils the reputation of Egypt”.

An Egyptian court on January 31 banned the armed wing of Hamas, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, declaring it a “terrorist” group.

In March last year, Egypt banned Hamas from carrying out any activity on its soil and froze the assets of the Islamist movement which controls the neighboring Gaza Strip.