The Palestinian Hamas movement condemned the signing of a free trade agreement between Britain and the "Zionist Occupation State," the German News Agency reported.
The movement said the agreement confirms that the UK continues to support the Israeli occupation and "its criminal and racist policies against the Palestinian people."
In a statement carried out by Shehab news agency, Hamas said that the deal encourages the Israeli occupation to move forward with its racist policies against the Palestinian people.
It warned that this would undermine any prospect of establishing a free and independent Palestinian state, especially amid Israeli officials' statements voicing their outright rejection of forming an independent Palestinian state.
The movement indicated that the agreement also contradicts the British government's claim that it adheres to international law, which "the Israeli occupation violates daily by continuing its occupation, building settlements, imposing a blockade, demolishing Palestinian homes, displacing Palestinians, and confiscating Palestinian land."
Hamas noted that these practices had been documented by the UN and international agencies, the latest of which was the Amnesty International which confirmed that the Israeli occupation had been an "apartheid state" in a systemic and institutionalized way since its establishment in 1948.
Hamas also denounced using the picture of the Dome of the Rock as the official label of the agreement, which indicates that the UK accepted "Israeli sovereignty" over Muslim holy sites and the occupied territories, in violation of international law and international humanitarian law.
"We call on the UK government to immediately reverse this agreement and take the necessary measures to amend its policies to support the just Palestinian rights," read the statement.
The British government should compel the Israeli occupation to abide by international law and give in to the Palestinians' demands for freedom, independence, and the right to return.
