UK Lawyers Call for Lifting Ban on Hamas, Citing Human Rights and International Law
Legal request to Britain’s Home Office argues that the Hamas ban violates international legal norms and denies Palestinians the right to self-defense—sparking political backlash.
Watan-UK-based lawyers have submitted a request to the British government to lift the ban on the Palestinian group Hamas, sparking fierce criticism from opposition politicians.
According to the legal request, the ban contradicts the UK’s human rights obligations, as the armed movement emphasizes “the legitimacy of the Palestinian people’s struggle for independence, territorial integrity, national unity, and liberation.”
The UK designated Hamas’s military wing as a “terrorist group” in 2001. The United States and the European Union also classify Hamas as a “terrorist organization.”
UK Law Firm Submits Request to Lift Hamas Ban, C
In the UK, being a member of a banned organization, promoting it, or expressing support for it are among actions considered criminal offenses.
The Home Office said it does not comment on matters related to bans.
The request was submitted Wednesday to the UK Home Office by Riverway Law, a London-based legal firm.
The request argues that the right to resist “foreign occupation by all available means, including armed struggle, is a moral and legitimate right explicitly protected under international law.”
Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,218 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
In response, Israel vowed to eliminate Hamas and has since carried out military strikes and operations in the Gaza Strip, where the death toll has surpassed 50,000, mostly civilians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas.
Riverway Law stated it received the request from senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk.
The lawyers said in a statement on X that by banning Hamas, “Britain is effectively denying Palestinians the right to defend themselves.”
Petition to Lift UK Ban on Hamas Sparks Political Backlash Over Security Concerns
According to the submission, the ban on Hamas is “disproportionate” because the group “poses no threat” to British national security.
The petition argues that the ban violates the UK’s human rights obligations, including those under the European Convention on Human Rights, which has become a target of the UK’s political right since Brexit in 2020.
The request drew strong backlash from opposition politicians. Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel described Hamas as an “evil terrorist organization backed by Iran.”
In a statement, Patel said, “Those who campaign to lift the ban on Hamas do not understand the severity of the threats posed by this terrorist organization.”
