The Chair of the European Parliament Working Group Against antisemitism, Nicola Beer MEP, welcomes the decision by the German Fderal Government to ban Hezbollah in its entirety and calls for an EU-wide ban.
The German federal government ban on Hezbollah is a long overdue step for which we liberals have long fought. Now an EU-wide ban must quickly follow. It is unacceptable that Hezbollah can continue to act unhindered and enlist support in Europe and that its so-called political wing is still tolerated in many Member States and at EU level. As a result, cultural associations and foundations in Europe continue to promote Islamist incitement, deny Israel’s right to exist and call for the destruction of the Jewish state. This must have an end.
It is unworthy of a European Union of human rights and international understanding to maintain the artificial separation between the “political” and “military” wings of Hezbollah. I therefore call on the EU – to join the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Japan and Great Britain – and make a firm statement against antisemitism and hatred of Jews and ensure that Hezbollah is banned in its entirety. Otherwise, we are closing our eyes to the fact that this plays into the hands of antisemitism in authoritarian states.
