Israel lists Lashkar-e-Taiba as a terror organisation

Why in news?

• Israel has listed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) as a terror organisation to symbolise the marking of 15th year of commemoration of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
• The listing has been done by Israel on its own, without any request from India.

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in news?
• India’s stand on Hamas
• Why has India not declared Hamas as a terrorist organisation?
• News Summary: Israel lists Lashkar-e-Taiba as a terror organisation
• Rationale behind this step
• Which countries currently designate Hamas as a terrorist organisation?
• What does designation as a terrorist organisation entail?

India’s stand on Hamas

• Background - India’s policy towards terrorism
  • India has a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism. It designates a group as a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
  • The UAPA was amended in 2019 to include the provision of designating an individual as a terrorist.
  • As of February 2023, there were a total of 44 designated terrorist organisations under the 1^st Schedule of the Act.
    • The last major international organisation banned by India was ISIS in 2015.
• India’s stand on Hamas
  • So far, India has not declared Hamas as a terrorist organisation.
  • After the 7 October attack, PM Modi expressed deep shock and solidarity with Israel. However, he did not mention Hamas or Palestine.
  • Since then, India has spoken of the need for a two-state solution to the wider Israel-Palestine conflict.

Why has India not declared Hamas as a terrorist organisation?

• Balancing act in West Asia
  • While India has traditionally supported Palestine and has an old friendship with the Arab world, its ties with Israel are growing.
• Significant Muslim population in India
  • Support for Palestinians is consistent across Muslim populations, including in India, home to the third-largest Muslim population in the world.
• Very localised requirements to ban an organisation
  • UAPA has very localised requirements for groups to be added to its terrorism listing.
  • This includes having activities such as operations, finances, and recruitment within Indian territories where Indian laws are applicable.
  • Hamas has had no such known history in the country.

News Summary: Israel lists Lashkar-e-Taiba as a terror organisation

Rationale behind this step

• Support to global war on terror
  • Israel only lists terror organisations:
    • who are actively operating against it from within or around its borders; or,
    • those globally recognised by UNSC or the US State Department.
  • The expedited and extraordinary listing of the Lashkar -e-Taiba organisation highlights the importance of a Unified Global Front in combating terrorism.
  • This step of Israel also vindicated India’s stand on global war on terror.
• Part of Israel’s global diplomatic campaign to isolate Hamas
  • Israel’s move comes at a time when it has asked India to proscribe Hamas as a terrorist outfit.
  • Experts view this step as a part of Israel’s global diplomatic campaign to isolate Hamas.
  • This is important for Israel as it seeks to rally international support for its campaign in Gaza, which is being judged increasingly harshly for the death and suffering of Palestinian civilians, including a very large number of children.
  • Only a handful of jurisdictions in the world currently designate Hamas as a terrorist organisation.

Which countries currently designate Hamas as a terrorist organisation?

• Apart from Israel, the following six countries, along with the European Union (EU), consider Hamas a terrorist organisation.
  • European Union: The EU first listed Hamas as a terrorist organisation in 2001 as part of its response against terrorism after the attacks of September 11, 2001, in the US.
  • Australia: Since 2001, Australia has listed Hamas in its entirety as a terrorist entity for financial sanctions.
  • Canada: The Canadian government describes Hamas as a “radical Islamist-nationalist terrorist organization”. It was first listed as such in 2002.
  • United Kingdom: Initially, the UK government proscribed Hamas’s military wing in 2001. But this was extended to all of Hamas in 2021.
  • Japan: Following the Hamas attacks of October, 2023, Japan designated Hamas as subject to Japan’s asset freezing for terrorists and others, among other measures.
  • Paraguay: In 2019, Paraguay became the first South American country to officially recognise Hamas as a terrorist organisation.
  • United States: US government designated Hamas and two other Palestinian groups, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), as Foreign Terrorist Organizations in October 1997.
    • These groups were also listed as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) in October 2001.

What does designation as a terrorist organisation entail?

• A government designates a terrorist organisation under specific national laws.
  • Eg. - Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 1952 in the US (which allows the Secretary of State to designate Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs),
  • Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 in India
• Designation is done based on specific criteria and can attract a range of curbs, including the freezing of assets and the takeover of the properties of the designated organisation.

Q1) What is Lashkar-e-Taiba?

Lashkar-e-Taiba, Islamist militant group founded in Pakistan and particularly active in the Kashmir region. 

Q2) where were 26/11 Mumbai attacks?

The 2008 Mumbai attacks were a series of terrorist attacks that took place in November 2008, when 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a militant Islamist organisation from Pakistan, carried out 12 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks lasting four days across Mumbai.

Source: Israel declares Lashkar-e-Taiba as terror organisation | First Post | Indian Express | Hindustan Times