An EU court on Wednesday dismissed a challenge by Hamas against its 2015 listing as a terrorist organization, a decision that made the Palestinian movement liable to EU sanctions.
The European Union first included Hamas on its terrorist list in late 2001, which resulted in the freezing of assets owned in the bloc. The movement, which seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, has repeatedly contested the EU's listing decisions.
Wednesday's ruling by the EU's General Court relates specifically to the EU's decision to renew the Hamas listing in 2015.
Among other arguments, Hamas had said that the 2015 decision rested on facts that were not substantiated by any evidence; denied it the right of defense; and infringed upon the group's right to property by freezing its funds.
The organization describes itself as "a lawful political movement that won the Palestinian elections and forms the core of the Palestinian government" which should therefore be prevented "from being characterized as a terrorist group."
The Luxembourg-based judges dismissed the arguments.
Since Hamas is "neither a state nor the government of a state, Hamas cannot benefit from the principle of non-interference," the court said.
The decision to add Hamas to the terrorism list relied in part on an order by the British Home Secretary and a decision by the US Secretary of State from October 1997, describing Hamas as a foreign terrorist organization, according to the court.
Wednesday's decision can be appealed before the European Court of Justice, the bloc's top tribunal.
