CAIRO/PARIS, September 7 (IslamOnline.net) - The European Union decision to blacklist the Palestinian resistance group Hamas political wing, drew varied reactions from experts, with some citing mounting Israeli-American pressures as the main reason and one arguing that Hamas itself may have been partially to blame.

"The European decision was the natural result of pressures laid by Israel and Washington on European countries since the bus bombing attack which killed 20 Israelis in West Jerusalem last month and was claimed by Hamas," Stephanie Emberque, a Paris-based professor of political science in Paris Saint Denis university, told IslamOnline.net.

She indicated that Europeans remain divided on the issue of Hamas, some recognizing its military and political wings as a movement resisting occupation and others seeing them as terrorist.

Monzer Soliman, a Washington-based political and military affairs analyst, also echoed the same viewpoint that the European decision was motivated by foreign pressures.

"The U.S. has been laying huge pressures on the E.U. since the 9-11 attacks to blacklist all Arab and Islamic organizations, particularly those struggling against the Israeli occupation of Palestine and U.S. hegemony in Iraq and Afghanistan," he maintained.

With the help of Israel, Washington was finally able to convince the European Union to toe its position, he said.

Speaking to IOL, Soliman highlighted other factors that contributed to the success of the American-Israeli pressures, citing the continued use of "suicide" operations against civilians in the occupied territories.

The expert, however, underlined that the pressures would never have culminated in a concrete had there not been a "racist" Euro-American stances vis-à-vis Arabs and Muslims.

Lambasting double-standard criteria in addressing similar cases, Soliman indicated that the leader of the Irish Republican Army continues to be welcomed into the White House to distinguish it from the military wing.

He also recalled that American and European leaders refrain from criticizing daily Israeli aggressions against Palestinian political leaders and civilians, while they jump to condemn Palestinian reactions to such attacks.

"Why has not the Republican Army been designated terrorist? Why has the U.S. continued - until very recently - to fund it ?"

The Washington-based political and military analyst also wondered why did not Washington designate Afghan mujaheedine as terrorists when they were fighting its traditional enemy the Soviet Union.

He contended that the objective was to break the will of the Palestinian people and not simply top rein in Hamas operations.

Soliman pressed for focusing efforts on ending the Israeli occupation which is the main cause of resistance.

"We should remain committed to our just causes until the very end as long as we are convinced of our right to resist the occupier and the others would eventually come to accept our means when we manage to change the status quo using them."

For his part, Mohammad Hamza, Director of Gaza-based Political and Strategic Studies, argued Hamas was largely to blame for the European decision.

"When Hamas accepted the truce it realized the move was necessary. When Israel breached the truce there should have been a new basis for a new truce through gradual reprisal and not blow up the truce and the ceiling of confrontation with Israel altogether."

Speaking to IOL, Hamza said "Hamas made a big mistake and is now paying the price."

He pressed for "a comprehensive change of Hamas strategies in its confrontation with Israel, including a change to its high-pitched political discourse."

Hamza attributed the European decision to Hamas disregard of the international factor ever since the very beginning.

He cited, in this respect, how the European Union refused to blacklist Hamas for more than a year.

The Palestinian expert said: "We should explore the real reasons away from the conspiracy theory and American pressures on Europe."

Professor Cedric Madlay of France’s Jessieu University pointed out that the European decision carries no direct impact on Hamas.

He indicated that the Palestinian resistance movement infrastructure is based in the Gaza Strip and West bank, while terrorist groups depend on powerful offshoots in Europe and the United States.

Speaking to IOL, he asserted, however, that the decision would only affect popular European sympathy with Hamas as a national liberat6ion movement.

It would also place Arafat in a difficult situation, said the academic, adding the Palestinian leader would be asked to take action against the Hamas now that it has been designated "terrorist".