PROSCRIPTION OF HEZBOLLAH MUST GO FURTHER

The ZF and its UK members welcome the news that the EU has agreed to proscribe the military wing of the terrorist group Hezbollah. The ZF, along with many other pro Israel organisations, campaigned for months for Hezbollah to be listed as a terrorist organisation. This involved working with MPs, MEPs and UK Ministers on the issue and producing detailed research. We’d like to thank all our supporters who wrote to their MPs, MEPs, the EU Commission and The Foreign Secretary on the matter.

However, proscribing Hezbollah’s military wing does not effectively counter terrorism. In 2009 Hezbollah’s deputy leader, Naim Qassem, stated: “Hezbollah has a single leadership. All political, social and jihad work is tied to the decisions of this leadership”. Consequently, for the EU to thwart global terrorism they should proscribe all wings of Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation. Furthermore, the EU cannot ignore the role of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards who created Hezbollah and have made it the force it is today.

ZF Chairman Paul Charney stated “Whilst I welcome the news that the EU is proscribing some of Hezbollah, I am left questioning what about the rest. Since it is and always has been a single organic terrorist organisation, then how does this help?

The EU has made an irrelevant distinction and should proscribe Hezbollah immediately in its entirety”.

The ZF and all its members will continue to stand up to international terrorism.