Europe Puts Hezbollah on Blacklist

One of the few Middle East terror groups to carry out an attack on European soil in recent years has been labelled a terror group by Europe – finally. Hezbollah, a powerful ally of Iran that runs Lebanon’s government like the Mafia once ruled towns, has had it’s military wing blacklisted by the European Union.

The Daily Telegraph reported that the move will freeze any money in the EU belonging to the military wing. That’s good news for peace-lovers everywhere, although The Daily Telegraph questioned how much of an impact it will have. Hezbollah’s political side was not targeted, a distinction that may undercut the move. What’s to stop Hezbollah from drawing money and resources from the political side for the militants – effectively laundering their own money?

Still, it’s at least a blow to the image of one of world’s true bad guys. Hezbollah has joined the Syrian regime in putting down the rebellion there; they have fired rockets at Israel’s civilians; attempted terror attacks around the world; and killed Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian bus driver in a bombing in the European nation of Bulgaria last year.

Hopefully, this will make it harder for Hezbollah to operate globally and will embolden Israel and Hezbollah’s opponents in Lebanon to curb the terror group’s power. That would make the world safer for you and increase stability in the Middle East.

Israeli President Shimon Peres welcomed the move, calling it a “a significant and necessary step towards putting an end to the spread of terror across the globe.”

“…Your decision sends a clear message to terror organizations and the countries which harbor them that their murderous actions will not be tolerated.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted in a press release that they wished that the EU would have blacklisted Hezbollah’s entire organization. That would have really hurt the terrorists. But Netanyahu was pleased the EU did something.

“As far as the State of Israel is concerned, Hezbollah is one organization, the arms of which are indistinguishable,” he said.

“It has imposed terrorist rule on wide sections of Lebanon, has converted them into an Iranian protectorate and is stockpiling tens of thousands of rockets there. These have been placed in the heart of civilian populations and are designed to be fired at population centers in Israel.”

(By Joshua Spurlock, www.themideastupdate.com, July 22, 2013)

What do you think?