The US State Department issued a press release on Wednesday saying that Haniya “has close links with Hamas’ military wing” and “has been a proponent of armed struggle including against civilians”.
The US accused Hamas of being involved in attacks that have resulted in the killing of 17 Americans since the group’s founding in 1987.
Al Jazeera’s Rosiland Jordan, reporting from Washington, DC, said this designation raises the possibility of the US placing Haniya on trial.
“His financial assets are going to be frozen. There will be a travel ban on him, and this possibly makes it easier for the US Justice Department to try to bring him to trial for his alleged role in the deaths of these 17 Americans”.