German parliament passes resolution aimed to outlaw Hezbollah activities
The German parliament passed a resolution on Thursday calling on the federal government to outlaw activities by the terrorist organization Hezbollah.
The Reichstag building in Berlin, where the Bundestag meets. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
The nonbinding measure was backed by the two major parties that consist of Germany’s governing coalition, as well as by a small opposition party called FDP, enabling passage with a large majority. The Bundestag’s other three parties abstained. No one voted against the motion.
The resolution calls on the government to “decree an activity ban against Hezbollah in order not to tolerate any activity in Germany by representatives of the organization, which opposes the principle of international understanding.”
Israeli Ambassador to Germany Jeremy Issacharoff told The Times of Israel, “we welcome the important and significant resolution adopted today by the Bundestag, which relates to Hezbollah for what it is: a terrorist organization, with no distinction between its military and ‘political’ wings. Hezbollah is indoctrinated, trained and financed by Iran, and poses a threat not only to Israeli civilians but also undermines Lebanese sovereignty and regional stability. As the resolution indicates, it poses a direct threat to German and Israeli security interests.”
In a statement, Arthur Stark, chairman, and Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice-chairman and CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, noted that “an Iranian proxy with the blood of countless innocents on its hands, Hezbollah conducts criminal operations in the Middle East, Europe, Latin America and elsewhere to finance its terror activities around the world. No quarter should be given to these purveyors of murder and Jew-hatred, who are unyielding in their quest to destroy the Jewish state.
“We look forward to seeing this implemented and encourage other countries to join Germany in banning Hezbollah,” they added.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said: “The world must unite against Hezbollah, declare it a terror organization and impose heavy sanctions on it that will prevent it from carrying out terror activities at the dispatch of Iran.”
JNS
