The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas was removed from the European Union's terrorist list on Wednesday following a ruling from a top EU court, BBC reported.
An initial decision to place Hamas on the terrorist list was made "not based on acts examined and confirmed in decisions of competent authorities, but on factual imputations derived from the press and the internet," the court found.
The decision is a result of an appeal from Hamas contesting the 2001 decision by the EU to place it on its terrorist list. Countries such as the U.S., Canada, Japan and Egypt consider Hamas to be a terrorist organization, while Russia, Turkey and China do not. Australia, New Zealand and the U.K. only consider the Hamas military wing to be a terrorist organization.
Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007 after winning Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006.
A freeze on the group's assets will be allowed to stay in place for three months to make time for further review or for an appeal to be launched, Reuters reported.
The EU's foreign policy arm, however, says Hamas will still be viewed as a terrorist group.
"This was a legal ruling of the court based on procedural grounds. We will look into this and decide on appropriate remedial action," said spokeswoman Maja Kocijanic.
Israeli officials said they were not satisfied with the explanation that the ruling was merely a technical matter, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded that Hamas be placed back on the EU's terror list immediately, reported The Jerusalem Post.
"The burden of proof is on the EU and we expect them to immediately return Hamas to the list where everyone realizes they should be," Netanyahu said. "Hamas is a murderous terrorist organization whose charter says that its aim is to destroy Israel. We will continue to fight it with determination and strength so that it will never realize its aims."
The Post reported Israeli Economy Minister Naftali Bennett as saying the "corrupt" decision "gives license for the shedding of Jewish blood everywhere and demonstrates the loss of a moral path," adding that while Israel "can defend itself from its enemies," Europe will "be the one to suffer from the strengthening of terrorist organizations."
At one point, Hamas' 1988 founding charter included phrases calling for the dissolution of Israel, however, as The Guardian pointed out in 2006, Hamas has since dropped such rhetoric and has largely shifted its position in favor of mutual peace and a two-state agreement with Israel.
Earlier on Wednesday, the European Parliament adopted a symbolic resolution that supports Palestinian statehood "in principle."
