Iran says the West is seeking to criminalize grassroots support for the Palestinian cause, and blacklisting resistance movements is their means to achieve this goal
In a tweet, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman described the banning of anti-Israeli resistance groups as phony designations. Saeed Khatibzadeh, however, noted that such measures don't just target groups that resist Israeli apartheid. He noted that civil societies in the countries hosting the resistance groups are the primary targets of such labeling. The remarks come days after the U-K proscribed Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, as a terrorist organization in its entirety. The designation has drawn criticism inside the Palestinian territories and beyond.