The Library of Congress will rename and revise a controversial report formerly titled “Hamas: Freedom Fighters or Terrorists?” that raised concerns among some members of the pro-Israel community here.
Joseph Ross, director of the library’s Congressional Research Service, which issued the May 14 report on the Islamic extremist movement, said that “an update and revision of the report on Hamas is currently nearing completion.”
In an Aug. 4 letter to Rep. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Ross said that “developments have occurred since the report was issued and new facts have come to our attention. the title has been changed.
“Your comments will be carefully reviewed and taken into consideration with respect to the updated presentation,” Ross wrote.
Schumer and the Anti-Defamation League had written to Library of Congress officials recently, charging that the report did not fully describe Hamas’ terrorist activities and that it used terminology such as “occupied Palestine” not generally found in government reports.
Hamas was listed as a terrorist group in the State Department’s annual global terrorism report.
An aide to the congressman quoted him as saying that he was “pleased that the Congressional Research Service intends to recognize the reality of Hamas terror.”
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