Austrian MPs want Iran-backed Hezbollah banned within European Union

MAY 30, 2020 12:41

BERLIN – Political representatives from the coalition parties governing Austria in the country’s parliament introduced on Friday a resolution urging the European Union to reassess Hezbollah’s entire organization as a terrorist movement.

According to a statement on the website of the Austria’s national council, the formal name for its parliament, a number of members of the legislative body declared that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization.

“Hezbollah wants to destroy Israel and propagates antisemitism and spreads radical Islamic ideology,” said Reinhold Lopatka and  Michaela Steinacker, both of whom are MPs from the conservative Austrian People’s party—the lead partner in the conservative and Green coalition government in Austria.

The two MPs added that Hezbollah’s entity should be classified as a terrorist organization.

Lopatka added that there is need to put an end to the formation of the legend that Hezbollah’s terror attacks are “just resistance.”

The resolution urged Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s administration to advocate on the EU level that Hezbollah’s entire organization be reassessed in connection with a full terror designation.

The Austria People’s party MP Martin Engelbert noted that the separation of Hezbollah into political and military wings is an “invention” of the EU.

The EU merely banned Hezbollah’s so-called “military” wing in 2013 after Hezbollah operative blew up in Israeli tour bus in 2012 in Bulgaria, murdering five Israelis and their Bulgarian Muslim bus driver. Hezbollah’s leaders declare their movement an unified organization.

Last month, Germany outlawed all of Hezbollah activities within the borders of the federal republic and designated the entire Hezbollah a terrorist movement.

The Austrian parliament resolution said the EU’s division of Hezbollah into political and military wings cannot be justified. The conservative and Green anti-Hezbollah resolution received the support of all MPs in the parliament.

“In the application, the National Council acknowledges Austria’s historical responsibility towards the State of Israel. The EU had to deal with Hezbollah again. Its military arm had already been classified as a terrorist organization in 2013 and would threaten Israel’s security,” the coalition factions said.

The opposition party NEOS (The New Austria and Liberal Forum) went further in its resolution than the conservative and Green party.

The NEOS criticized the resolution of the conservatives and Greens because the parties did not follow the lead of the Britain and the Netherlands and outlaw all of Hezbollah. The NEOS slammed the Greens and the conservative because the governing parties continue to” see Hezbollah as political party” that can be negotiated with.

In addition to Germany, Britain, and Holland, the US, Canada,Japan, the Arab League, Israel and a number of Latin American countries have classified Hezbollah’s entire organization a terrorist movement.

The Austrian social democratic MP Petra Bayr supports a ban of all of Hezbollah’s activities within Austria.

The parliament stressed the need “for continuing measures to be taken against terrorist and criminal activities by Hezbollah supporters in Austria using all the rule of law and to prevent their financing through money laundering activities in the long term.”