UPDATE***
“Germany’s parliament passed a resolution Thursday calling for a national ban on the activities of Hezbollah and for the Lebanese militant group to be put on the European Union’s terrorist list.”
Given Germany’s laxity regarding Islamization, it is a welcome surprise that the resolution calling for a national ban on Hizballah activities was passed. But until a ban is in place, optimism should be guarded. As Soeren Kern writes in the Gatestone Institute:
“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.”
Back in June, the AfD ( Alternative for Germany party) tabled a motion “to consider a ban on Hezbollah’s activities in Germany, and for the government to no longer distinguish between the group’s political and military wings, calling it a unified ‘terrorist organisation.’” That resolution was rejected at the time, but discussions resumed in September. Less than a month ago, Germany denied plans altogether to ban Hizballah.
This latest resolution urges Germany “to abandon the distinction it currently draws between a political and a military wing of Hezbollah.”
Germany also has concerns about Hizballah’s jihad against Israel.
Several lawmakers noted that a ban would allow authorities to prevent Hezbollah supporters from staging an annual anti-Israel march in Berlin.
Mathias Middelberg, the spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Conservatives in parliament, said: “it is unacceptable that Hezbollah is waging a terrorist fight against Israel in the Middle East, which is being financed through worldwide criminal activities, among other things….In view of Germany’s special responsibility toward Israel, we call on the government to ban all activities for Hezbollah in Germany.”
Israel’s 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”
Johann Wadephul, a lawmaker with Merkel’s Christian Democrats, also stated about Hizballah that “they threaten Israel, they threaten the peace process in the Mideast and therefore we must confront Hezbollah.”
Debate still continues. Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has not fully endorsed a call for Hizballah’s full ban, but pressure continues on Berlin for a full ban. So far the UK and the Netherlands now recognize the organization “in its entirety as a terrorist organization. In that context, the US administration has been pushing for Berlin to follow suit.”
Hizballah activities should be investigated and banned in every Western country, including the U.S. The group has been identified by the Investigative Project as an ongoing threat to American national security. It has the “expertise to build advanced tunnels on the southern U.S. border, enabling Hizballah terrorists and Mexican cartel operatives to infiltrate the United States.” And during the summer, it was also discovered that Hizballah’s external operations group, “known as Unit 910,” was “even more active in Canada than they were in the United States.” Ali Kourani, “member of Hezbollah’s external operations unit, the Islamic Jihad Organization….collected ‘detailed information’ about Toronto’s Pearson airport,” so it could plan attacks.
A logical next question is: what about Hamas? It, too, and its associates are waging a “terrorist fight” against Israel and is an established wing of the expansionary Muslim Brotherhood.
No Islamic jihad group has any place on Western soil.
“German Parliament Calls for Full Ban of Hezbollah Activities,” Associated Press, December 19, 2019:
BERLIN — Germany’s parliament passed a resolution Thursday calling for a national ban on the activities of Hezbollah and for the Lebanese militant group to be put on the European Union’s terrorist list.
Mathias Middelberg, the spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives in parliament, said the joint resolution was agreed upon with the junior coalition Social Democrats, as well as the opposition Free Democrats.
“It is unacceptable that Hezbollah is waging a terrorist fight against Israel in the Middle East, which is being financed through worldwide criminal activities, among other things,” he said in a statement. “In view of Germany’s special responsibility toward Israel, we call on the government to ban all activities for Hezbollah in Germany.”
The EU now lists Iran-backed Hezbollah’s military wing as a banned terrorist group, but not its political wing, which has been part of Lebanese governments in recent years.
“The separation between a political and a military arm should be abandoned, and Hezbollah as a whole should be placed on the EU terrorist list,” Middelberg said. “This could freeze Hezbollah’s funds and assets in Europe more extensively than before.”
However, other member nations have opposed broadening the scope of the EU’s Hezbollah ban.
Israel welcomed the decision by German parliament, known as the Bundestag, and said it hoped the move would encourage other European countries to take similar steps.
“The Bundestag’s resolution is an important step in the international struggle against terrorism, particularly against terrorist organization Hezbollah and its patron Iran,” said Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz.….
mortimer says
What ? Did Germans become DISCRIMINATORY RACISTS? Don’t they know that it is ‘racist’ to condemn jihad? Did Germans just now start to wake up to Islamic supremacism?
Hizbollah is a terrorist proxy army stage-managed by Iran. Is German pushing against Iran now?
Up until now, Germany and the European Union outlawed only Hezbollah’s military wing, and worked with Hezbollah’s political wing and allowed it to raise funds in Europe.
The walls are closing in on the jihadists. Even though jihad is a core teaching and ‘highest deed’ in Islam, it cannot be conducted in any country legally.
Jihad is perhaps the most obvious example of religious discrimination.
No Muzzies Here says
Hezbollah – the party of Allah. Does anyone doubt that Islam is a political movement?
Heid says
This is the truth. The so called “right wingers” of the AfD brought into the parliament first. It is quite surprising that they passed it because the AfD is treated like a red-headed step child. I believe the foremost reason for them to pass it is that we have elections in 2021 and they are afraid to lose more voters than they have already. Don’t trust Merkel, she’ll do anything to get voted in again even though she says she will not be available for office. https://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/German-parliament-slated-to-debate-ban-of-Hezbollah-591650
RichardL says
You are half right: the AfD wanted to outlaw Hezbollah – their motion was rejected in June by all other parties (which is only one party in reality). This motion has no legal power, i.e. Hezbollah will also be legal in Germany in the future. Except for the AfD, German parties hate Jews.
Heidi says
Richard, all of their motions are rejected no matter how good they are. The rest ofthe parties are a laughing stock.
RichardL says
agreed. Was among the first 350 people to join the AfD. Frohe Weihnachten!
gravenimage says
German parliament passes resolution calling for national ban on Hizballah activities
………………
*Good*.
gravenimage says
Apparently there are no teeth to this resolution:
“Gatestone Institute: German Parliament’s Hizballah ban is a legal charade”
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2019/12/gatestone-institute-german-parliaments-hizballah-ban-is-a-legal-charade
Sad to hear it. I thought we were finally getting some sanity from Germany.