June 14, 2003	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 13, 1424

BRUSSELS, June 13: The European Union will consider how to cut off funding for Hamas after this week’s suicide attacks against Israelis by the militant organization, the bloc’s foreign policy chief said on Friday.

“The EU will discuss this issue with a view to finding ways to end external support to Hamas,” Javier Solana said in a statement.

An official said the statement showed the EU — which has only the military wing of Hamas, the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, on its list of banned “terrorist” groups — was opening debate on a wider clampdown long sought by Washington.

The United States complains that many European governments have not designated Hamas itself as a terrorist group or frozen its assets because they insist on making a distinction between its military and political wings.

The military wing has carried out suicide attacks which have increased since Palestinians launched an uprising against Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in Sept 2000. Hamas claimed responsibility for this week’s attack that killed 16 Israelis.—Reuters