The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday it had designated Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the Islamist Palestinian group Hamas, as a terrorist.
The State Department said in a statement that Haniyeh, along with three Islamist groups active in Egypt and one in the Palestinian territories, were listed as specially designated global terrorists.
It quoted Secretary of State Rex Tillerson as saying the 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."
In Gaza, Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said, "We reject and condemn the decision and we see it as a reflection of the domination by a gang of Zionists of the American [administration]. The decision is worthless."
Hamas, which dominates the Gaza Strip, advocates Israel's destruction and is designated as a terrorist group by the United States and some other Western countries. Most EU nations, however, do not include Hamas on their terror watch lists.
In December, after U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Haniyeh stated, "We will knock down Trump's decision. No superpower is capable of offering Jerusalem to Israel, there is no Israel that it should have a capital named Jerusalem."
The three groups designated by the State Department included the Iranian-backed Harakat al-Sabireen, which operates primarily in Gaza and the West Bank; Liwa al-Thawra, which has claimed responsibility for killing an Egyptian army general in Cairo in 2016 and a bombing in 2017; and Harakat Sawa'd Misr, which claimed responsibility for killing an Egyptian security officer and other attacks.
The designations deny Haniyeh and the three groups access to the U.S. financial system.
Israeli officials welcomed what they called a "dramatic move," saying the designation will affect not only the Palestinian Authority and the rival Palestinian factions' attempts to broker a lasting reconciliation but the Palestinians' foreign relations as well.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement and Hamas have been locking horns since the Islamist terrorist group ousted Fatah from the Gaza Strip in a military coup in 2007. Several past reconciliation deals fizzled within weeks, and the latest attempt, brokered by Egypt in mid-October, is on the verge of collapse over the terrorist group's refusal to disarm.
The Israeli officials said Haniyeh's new designation was also likely to minimize, if not prevent, the leaders of Turkey, Egypt and Qatar from meeting with him.
"We welcome the United States' important decision, which shows a strong hand against terrorism," Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev said.
Social Equality Minister Gila Gamliel said that "Hamas' leader in Gaza would be wise to understand that the rules of the game have changed. Together with the U.S., we will continue to eradicate terrorism."
