Israel Matzav

An idea whose time has come: US should tell EU to ban Hezbullah or else

Europe now has concrete proof that Hezbollah — a legal political organization within the EU — is launching terror attacks against EU citizens and visitors. But the key European powers — France and Germany — have blocked a terror listing of Hezbollah. Recent media reports suggest that the Germans (950 Hezbollah members operate in Germany) and the French are entertaining the idea of outlawing merely Hezbollah’s so-called military wing. But this compromise would still allow Hezbollah to continue fundraising in Europe.

The Dutch outlawed the entire organization in 2004, making no separation between the group’s political and military branches. The Netherlands’ Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans urged his fellow foreign ministers in late February to follow a similar course and list Hezbollah as a terror entity.

The British designated Hezbollah’s military wing to be a terrorist organization in 2008 because the militia targeted British soldiers for death in Iraq. Put simply: The distinction is nonsense. Hezbollah’s top leaders consistently reject the separation of its organization into political and military wings. Irish defense minister Alan Shatter agreed; while in Lebanon, he said that it is not a “valid distinction” to make.

President Obama told Israeli students during his visit to Jerusalem last month that “every country that values justice should call Hezbollah what it truly is: a terrorist organization.” But the EU seems to view Obama’s call to act as empty rhetoric without consequences.

The EU is interested in a bilateral free-trade agreement with the U.S. If the Obama administration is serious about the business of protecting U.S. interests, it should demand that a sine qua non of a free-trade deal be the removal of Hezbollah from European territory.

Labels: European Union, financing terror, Hezbullah, Islamic terrorism

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:57 AM