A senior Hamas leader urged Britain on Thursday to demand Israel end its military occupation of the Palestinian territories instead of branding Hamas as terrorist group.

Saed Siyam told reporters in Gaza that Britain was the main cause for the Palestinian tragedy since the Nov. 2, 1917 Belford Promise allowed the Jews to have their homeland in the Palestine.

The Promise caused suffering for millions of Palestinians who were expelled by force out of their lands.

"Our resistance is legitimate according to the international law. We want to force the Israeli occupation out of our lands," he said, adding that Europe made a big mistake when it considered Hamas a terrorist organization under the American pressure.

Source: Xinhua