The United States has designated Haneyya the senior political leader of Hamas resistance movement as a “global terrorist”.
The US State Department issued a press release on Wednesday saying that Haneyya “has close links with Hamas’ military wing” and “has been a proponent of armed struggle”.
Haneyya’s placement on the “terror list” means that there will be a travel ban on him and that any US-based financial assets he may have will be frozen.
There will also be a ban on any US citizen or company from doing business with him.
“These designations target key terrorist groups and leaders – including two sponsored and directed by Iran – who are threatening the stability of the Middle East undermining the peace process and attacking our allies Egypt and Israel” claimed the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
Hamas which is headquartered in the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip was founded in 1987 on a strategy of armed struggle against the occupation and has a military wing known as the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
Haneyya 54 was elected to be the group’s political chief in May 2017 replacing Khaled Meshaal. Born in a refugee camp in Gaza the leader has long been seen as pragmatic and flexible in his attitudes.
Hamas movement condemned the US decision as part of a wider ad hominem campaign against the Palestinians since President Donald Trump came into office in January 2017- one year ago.
The animosity shown by the US administration towards the Palestinians has reached unprecedented levels with its unconditional support of Israel and its decision surrounding Jerusalem and cutting its funding to the UN refugee agency (UNRWA).
Trump has made a series of decisions in recent months that have increased tensions in the region.
In a major break with decades of US policy Trump announced on December 6 that the US formally recognizes Occupied Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and will begin the process of moving its embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city. The move unleashed protests across the occupied Palestinian territories and in major cities around the world.
And on January 17 the US government decided to cut more than half of its planned funding to the UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees – an institution that has been the lifeline to more than five million registered Palestinian refugees for over 70 years.
To thousands across the occupied Palestinian territories and the world Haneyya stands as an icon of anti-occupation resistance.
