German Police Raid Hezbollah Associated Mosques, Enforcing New Law

by Avi Abelow
1.3K views

The U.S. and Israeli governments have repeatedly urged Chancellor Angela Merkel’s administration over the last decade to designate the Hezbollah movement as a terrorist organization. Whereas, Germany, as most European countries only banned the military wing of Hezbollah, while treating their political wing as a legitimate political entity. Last year, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Merkel that he wishes Germany would “follow Britain’s example” and outlaw the terrorist group.

Currently, only Israel, the USA, Canada, Britain, the Netherlands, the Arab League and a number of Latin American countries have outlawed Hezbollah’s entire organization.

The AfD Party in Germany Has Led the German Government to Act Against Hezbollah

German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer announced he would outlaw the activities of terror organization Hezbollah today.

Petr Bystron, AfD Spokesman on the Foreign Policy Committee of the German Bundestag, said: 

“Almost a year ago, on June 6, 2019, the AfD filed a motion to outlaw Hezbollah as a terrorist organization and abolish the absurd distinction between a “political” and a “military” arm of Hezbollah. Germany has become the world’s most important nexus for Hezbollah’s arms and drug deals, with which they finance terror against Israel. They have approx. 1050 active members in Germany, recruiting and raising money. 

Our motion was rejected by the other parties in June, then resubmitted in Fall and rejected once again Dec. 18. However, thanks to our pressure, as well as pressure by Israel, US ambassador Richard Grenell and reporting by Benjamin Weinthal in the Jerusalem Post, we were able to force the other parties to pass at least a watered-down version of out bill, demanding a ban on “Hezbollah activities”. It is this motion Interior Minister Horst Seehofer is finally acting on, five months later, and almost a year after we first tabled the issue. 

Let’s hope it is only the first step on the way to completely outlawing membership in Hezbollah in Germany.”

Full Interview with AfD Leader Joachim Kuhs

The interior ministry’s prohibition means that Hezbollah assets can be confiscated in Germany and that Hezbollah symbols will be banned.

However, even with the positive aspects of the new law, the ministry would not officially outlaw the Hezbollah organization.

In one of its first enforcements of this new law, German Police conducted raided mosque in four cities across Germany associated with Hezbollah. Security officials believe up to 1,050 people in Germany are part of Hezbollah.

Israeli journalist Amichai Stein tweeted that: Germany received intelligence information from Israel which helped to formulate the declaration that Hezbollah will be outlawed. Officials in Israel have received an advance update a few days ago about the expected decision.

Germany is the 3rd country in Europe, after Britain, and Netherland, that outlaws the political wing if Hezbollah. In Israel, there is hope that German decision can be used as a lever for exerting pressure on other EU countries to outlaw Hezbollah.

German’y Ambassador to Israel tweeted that “this is an important step in the war on international terrorism.” Israeli Amb to Germany @Jissacharoff tweeted that “Israel welcomes the decision – it is time for the EU to also ban it”


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