48.5 F
New York
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Germany to Finally Outlaw Hezbollah Terror Organization Next Week, Report Says

Related Articles

-Advertisement-

Must read

Edited by: Fern Sidman

According to the DW.com web site, Der Spiegel magazine had reported on Thursday that Germany’s Interior, Justice and Foreign Ministries had agreed to move towards outlawing Iran-backed Hezbollah.

The report indicated that the decision could happen next week when cabinet ministers are scheduled to meet. 

According to Der Spiegel, the move would effectively ban all Hezbollah activities on German soil, including the waving of its yellow flag, which controversially has been shown during pro-Iranian and anti-Israeli demonstrations in Berlin.

The Times of Israel has reported that at the behest of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, or AfD, the Bundestag debated a nonbinding resolution calling on the government to “examine whether the conditions exist for a ban on Hezbollah as one organization, and, if necessary, to issue such a prohibition and implement it immediately.” 

Reuters reported that Germany’s attorney general had been given full power of attorney to investigate Hezbollah’s activities in September.  The reports came barely two months after US ambassador Richard Grenell renewed pressure on Germany to ban the Lebanese-based organization, which the US has classified as a terrorist organization.

INN reported later on Thursday, an Interior Ministry spokesman denied that an outright ban of Hezbollah by Germany was in the cards, reported Deutsche Welle.

The spokesman, Steve Alter, clarified on Twitter that reports about a so-called “ban on activities” of Hezbollah — which is a less stringent legal measure — “cannot be confirmed.”

Hezbollah is a Shiite Islamist party and terrorist organization operating in Lebanon and supported by Iran. It has had a presence in the country’s parliament since 1992 and its military wing is said to be more powerful than Lebanon’s armed forces.

It is responsible for frequent attacks on Israel and denies the Jewish state’s right to exist.

The German government has so far argued that recognizing Hezbollah as a legitimate part of Lebanon’s government is necessary for political engagement with the Middle Eastern country.

In 2013, the European Union of which Germany is a member, blacklisted Hezbollah’s “military wing” as a terrorist organization, while failing to blacklist the group’s political arm.

However, EU members such as the Netherlands and United Kingdom consider all of Hezbollah a terrorist entity, as do the United States, Canada, Israel and even the Arab League, according to an INN report.

The British government formally announced in February that it intends to ban the political wing of the Hezbollah terror organization, after previously having banned its military wing.

INN reported that Germany’s Minister of State Niels Annen said in August that his country will not follow Britain’s lead, arguing that the Shiite Muslim organization remained a relevant factor in Lebanese society.

German Jewish leaders called on German Chancellor Angela Merkel to fully outlaw Hezbollah.

“We’re also hoping to get Germany’s help — and we talked about this today — in recognizing Hezbollah as a unified entity and banning it from Germany as our ally, the United Kingdom, did this year,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in June during a meeting with his German counterpart, Heiko Maas, in Berlin.

balance of natureDonate

Latest article

- Advertisement -