MANILA — The Philippines' designation of militant Palestinian group Hamas as a terrorist organization would provide moral support for Israel — which has launched military operations in Gaza in retaliation for an October 7 attack — but Manila has few moves against the group, which does not operate here, analysts said.

National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said this week that the Anti-Terrorism Council would push for the designation of Hamas under the Anti-Terrorism Act "in solidarity with the people of Israel" and in response to coordinated attacks that left more than 1,000 people dead, including three confirmed Filipino fatalities.

"This was a deadly and barbaric terrorist assault on Israel targeting its civilian population and Israel has every right, as much as any nation, to defend and protect itself from this attack," Año, a former Army general, also said.

Designation would authorize the Anti-Money Laundering Council to freeze bank accounts if Hamas had any in the Philippines.

A MESSAGE OF SUPPORT

"This is just a message of support while the Philippines has no capacity of imposing trade sanctions on Hamas," Dr. Chester Cabalza, president of policy research group International Development and Security Cooperation, said.

He added that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s statement after the Hamas attack and the Philippines' support for the establishment of Israel in 1947 "means that we sympathize with [them]."

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For Anthony Lawrence Borja, who teaches political science at De La Salle University, the designation would be "an empty gesture" but one that shows the Philippines' long and close ties with Israel.

The designation will "not resolve the Palestinian question and bring about peace in Palestine and the whole Arab region," according to former lawmaker Liza Maza, general secretary of the International League of Peoples' Struggle (ILPS).

ILPS supports the Palestinian resistance, with Maza saying the "right to pursue the struggle for self determination by all means including by force is a long-held principle" that the UN recognizes.

Maza said the designation could "win points" from the US and from Israel, both of which supply military equipment to the Philippines.

"Sa giyera naman, mukhang hindi tayo papasok doon. Hindi tayo kasama sa giyera. Ang Amerika ang directly nagpupunta doon, nagpapadala ng gamit," economist and political analyst Emmanuel Leyco said on TeleRadyo Serbisyo on Saturday in comments on the economic impact of the war.

(In terms of the war, it doesn't seem like we will go there. We are not part of that. It is America that will directly go there and send materiel.)

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DESIGNATION BY THE EU AND US

Designation by the European Union means the freezing of funds and financial assets. "In addition, EU persons and entities are forbidden from making funds available to listed individuals and entities," the European Council says on its website.

The US, which designated Hamas in 1997, prohibits knowingly providing "material support or resources" to designated organizations.

Banks and financial institutions are also required to take control of and report to the government funds of a designated group or its agent.

Representatives and members of designated groups cannot enter the US and can be deported if discovered there.

According to a US State Department briefer, designation is meant to curb terrorism financing, stigmatize and isolate designated organizations international, raise awareness of these groups, and communicate that the country is serious in going after them.

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WHAT'S IN IT FOR THE PHILIPPINES?

Designating Hamas a terrorist group would put the Philippines among a coalition of nations working against violent extremism and terrorism in the Middle East, Cabalza said.

"The national interests of the Philippines in a stable Middle East emanates from our core need in human and natural resources," he said.

The Philippines has been deploying Overseas Filipino Workers to the Middle East since 1970s and relies heavily on oil and fuel products from Saudi Arabia.

Philippine authorities are currently working to secure OFWs in Israel and in Gaza who have been affected by the Oct.7 attack and rocket barrages and the retaliatory air strikes and operations since.

Repatriation of some Filipinos — including a batch of agriculture students — has been ongoing.

Leyco said that while direct trade with Israel is small, the country itself is strategic to trade and that many OFWs might be affected if the conflict spreads to neighboring countries.

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'RIGHT TO DEFEND'

In separate statements, the Marcos, Año and foreign governments like the US have emphasized states' rights to self-defense, which Cabalza said is "a cultural norm in the region."

Cabalza stressed, however, that "extreme violence as an answer to an assault is already overstretched and unacceptable."

He said that the international community should intervene do de-escalate tensions and find a path to peace.

Leyco also warned of the "massive human tragedy" that the blockade on Gaza and of military operations will bring.

Borja meanwhile said that the rhetoric "feeds the discourse of security that the current administration is drawing a part of its legitimacy from."

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