UK says it will make Hamas a banned terrorist organization

LONDON (AP) — The British government says it intends to ban the Palestinian militant group Hamas as a terrorist organization. The military wing of Hamas has been outlawed in the U.K. since 2001 but the organization as a whole is not proscribed. Home Secretary Priti Patel said Friday on Twitter that she had “acted to proscribe Hamas in its entirety.” A ban must be approved by Parliament. It would make it illegal in Britain to be a member of Hamas or to express support for it. Hamas opposes Israel’s existence and has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007. Israel, the U.S. and the European Union consider it a terrorist group.