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German Parliament: Its Resolution to Ban Hezbollah is Just a Legal Charade

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By: Soeren Kern

The German parliament has passed a non-binding resolution that calls on the German government to ban the activities of the Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah — Arabic for “The Party of Allah” — in Germany.

The measure — supported by center-right Christian Democrats and the center-left Social Democrats, the two major parties that make up Germany’s ruling coalition, and also by the classical liberal Free Democrats — has been hailed as “important,” “significant,” and a “crucial step.”

The resolution, however, falls short of a complete ban on Hezbollah and appears aimed at providing the German government with political cover that would allow Germany to claim that it has banned the group even if it has not.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has faced increasing international pressure to ban Hezbollah, but she has refused to do so. Hezbollah has more than 1,000 operatives in Germany, according to German intelligence assessments.

The three-page resolution — “Effective Action against Hezbollah” (“Wirksames Vorgehen gegen die Hisbollah”) — was passed on December 19. An abridged translation of the text reads:

“Because of our history, Germany has a special responsibility towards the Jewish and democratic State of Israel. Israel’s security and right to exist are part of Germany’s raison d’état [Staatsräson]. The Bundestag calls on the federal government to confront actors in the Middle East that question Israel’s right to exist or openly threaten its security. In addition to Iran’s continually aggressive policies, the most important of these anti-Israeli forces is the terrorist group Hezbollah, which is closely linked to Iran, and due to its widespread presence also poses a particular threat to the stability of the entire Middle East.

“The German Bundestag is committed to Germany’s special responsibility towards Israel and its security. It adheres to the two-state solution, as confirmed by the United Nations Security Council in numerous resolutions: a Jewish and democratic state of Israel within secure borders and an independent, democratic and viable Palestinian state.

“According to the federal government, Hezbollah supporters primarily use Germany as a place of retreat and logistics. Its followers are under the watchful eye of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution [German domestic intelligence]. There are around 1,000 supporters of Hezbollah in Germany, and this number is increasing. Hezbollah cannot currently be banned because its association structures cannot currently be determined.

“The federal government has already taken measures against the spread and support of Hezbollah in Germany with the 2008 ban on the ‘Al Manar TV’ television station, and the 2014 ban of the ‘Lebanon Orphan Project.’ In 2018 alone, the Federal Prosecutor General [Generalbundesanwalt] at the Federal Court of Justice [Bundesgerichtshof] initiated 36 investigations against individuals linked to Hezbollah….

“According to the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, it must be expected that Hezbollah will continue to plan and carry out terrorist actions against Israel or Israeli interests outside the Middle East. Our commitment to the protection of the State of Israel also requires that funding flows from Germany, which serve to finance Hezbollah in the Middle East, be prevented by all means.

“The German Bundestag views as an urgent priority a consistent national and common European approach against the activities of the terrorist organization Hezbollah….

“The German Bundestag calls on the federal government to:

“1. Continue closely to monitor the activities of Hezbollah supporters, particularly in Germany, and to pursue them by all means of the rule of law; this also includes combating money laundering and preventing terrorist financing from Germany;

“2. Impose an activity ban [Betätigungsverbot] on Hezbollah in order to prevent any activity by representatives of the organization in Germany that is against the principle of international understanding [respect for all people];

“3. Abandon the conceptual division of Hezbollah into a political and a military wing and to come to a common assessment at the European level to list the group;

“4. Continue actively to advocate for the right of existence of the Jewish and democratic State of Israel and the legitimate security interests of the State of Israel as a central principle of German foreign and security policy;

“5. Take measures, together with international partners, to reduce Hezbollah’s influence in the Middle East, particularly in Syria.”

             (Gatestone Institute)

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