Palestinians have condemned a U.S. decision to remove the radical Jewish group Kach from the list of terror organizations.
On Friday, the U.S. Department of State removed five extremist groups from its list of foreign terrorist organizations, including Kach.
In a statement, the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA) termed the U.S. decision as a “reward for the operatives of this terrorist organization.”
“The actions of the U.S. administration contradict with its words and don’t fit with its commitments to peace and stability,” the statement said.
The PA went on to call on the U.S. administration to reverse the move and take a "historic decision to remove the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) from its list of terrorist organizations."
Hamas, the militant group that rules the Gaza Strip, said the Kach group was responsible for dozens of terrorist attacks against Palestinians.
The U.S. decision “reflects its double-standard policy and the U.S. inadequacy to be a fair mediator in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” Hamas leader Basem Naim said in a statement.
The Kach movement is classified as a terrorist group by the European Union and Israel itself, where its founder Meir Kahane was banned from participating in the elections in 1988.
