Top United Nations Official Denies Hamas Is a Terrorist Organization, Calls it a 'Political Movement'

In a recent interview, a United Nations official sparked controversy due to his comments about terrorist group Hamas, which is currently embroiled in a war with Israel in Gaza. Despite the history of the conflict in the Middle East, the official insisted that Hamas is not a terrorist organization.

During a Wednesday interview with Sky News, U.N. Relief Chief Martin Griffiths was asked by the interviewer about Israel insisting that Hamas has no part in a future governing body for Gaza. Griffiths stated in his answer that the U.N. instead considers Hamas to be a “political movement,” not a terrorist organization.

I think it’s very difficult. And as you said, I’ve worked with many, many, many different terrorist and insurgent groups. Hamas is not a terrorist group for us, of course, as you know, it’s a political movement.

UN Relief Chief Martin Griffiths tells Sky News:

"Hamas is not a terrorist group...it's a political movement." pic.twitter.com/8O0XqlnYjs
— Jeff Charles, An Awful Pundit🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) February 16, 2024

Well, you have to hand it to the guy. It can’t be easy to utter such a ridiculous statement while keeping a straight face. Social media roundly condemned his comments, pointing out how blatantly false they were. International human rights lawyer Hillel Neuer referred to recent revelations that the UNRWA employed Hamas operatives who helped the organization carry out its October 7 surprise attack on Israel.

Reminder that when UNRWA insists they rigorously vet Gaza staff according to the U.N. list of terrorist groups, there’s 1 little catch: they don’t consider Hamas to be a terrorist group. @UNReliefChief: “Hamas is not a terrorist group for us, of course, it’s a political movement.”

Reminder that when UNRWA insists they rigorously vet Gaza staff according to the U.N. list of terrorist groups, there's 1 little catch: they don't consider Hamas to be a terrorist group. @UNReliefChief: “Hamas is not a terrorist group for us, of course, it's a political movement.” https://t.co/lWfeGzO7pF
— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) February 15, 2024

But that’s not all. Griffiths also insisted that despite the Hamas attack, in which they murdered over 1,000 Israeli soldiers and civilians, Israel should still work to build a relationship with Gaza because he could not “think of an example offhand of a place where a victory through warfare has succeeded against a well-entrenched group, terrorist or otherwise.”

Of course, Griffiths was clearly lying when he claimed Hamas is not a terrorist group. The very assertion ignores decades of history, in which the organization has engaged in terrorist activities against Israel. Founded in 1987 during the First Intifada, Hamas has openly stated that its objective is to eliminate the state of Israel and eradicate the Jewish people in the region. It is responsible for having carried out numerous attacks against Israeli civilians, including rocket launches, bombings, kidnappings, and others.

Even further, Hamas has not only terrorized Israeli civilians. Since it took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, it has also meted out a myriad of human rights abuses against Palestinian civilians in the region. Through extrajudicial killings, torture, arbitrary arrests, and silencing peaceful protests, Hamas has wholly subjugated the population.

Yet, the United Nations still deems it necessary to run cover for a brutal terrorist group, which is one of a million reasons why the organization should not be taken seriously.