Palestinians condemn US removal of ‘Kach’ from terror list

Protesters wave flags of Fatah and Palestine as they burn Israeli ones during a demonstration against the expropriation of Palestinian land by Israel, in the village of Kfar Qaddum near the Jewish settlement of Kedumim in the occupied West Bank on May 20, 2022. (JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP)

RAMALLAH – The US State Department's decision to remove the Israeli extremist "Kach" movement from the list of foreign terrorist organizations has sparked condemnation and outrage among the Palestinians.

The Palestinian presidency said in a press statement on Sunday that it strongly condemned the decision as the movement was responsible for "incitement to kill and expel the Palestinians."

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The US State Department said Thursday in a statement that it removed the group and four others from the terror organization list which was made under the US Immigration and Nationality Act.

"The American Congress insists on punishing the Palestinians by removing the Kach movement from the list of terror and considering the Palestine Liberation Organization as a terrorist organization," the Palestinian presidency said.

Hussein al-Sheikh, a member of the PLO's executive committee, said in a statement that the US decision "is astonishing."

"Insisting on keeping the PLO on the terrorist lists is the constant grievance, double standards, and a victory for injustice," he said, adding that the PLO "is the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people."

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The "Kach" movement was classified as a terrorist movement under Israeli law. It was founded by Rabbi Meir Kahane, who was assassinated in the United States in 1990.

The group has been accused of being responsible for killing and displacing Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.