The German parliament called on the government to ban all Hezbollah activities

The Conservative Party, the Social Democrats and another opposition party implored the Merkel coalition to stop separating the military and political arm of the organization. The proposal does not require, but will increase the pressure on the government. Foreign Ministry welcomes: "The world must unite against Hizbullah"

The German parliament called on the government to ban all Hezbollah activities

The German parliament approved on Thursday a request calling on Chancellor Angela Merkel's government to completely ban Hezbollah activity on state soil because of the "terrorist activity" of the Lebanese-backed Iranian organization, especially in Syria.

The proposal was supported by Merkel's Conservative Party, the Social Democratic Party in the government and the opposition "Free Democrats". The proposal is not binding, but it will increase the pressure on the government to act on the issue. The decision calls on the government to stop the difference it makes between Hezbollah's political arm and its military wing.

"The lower house is calling on the government to outlaw Hezbollah and not tolerate any activity by its representatives in Germany," the proposal said. Lawmakers praised the government's efforts to take action against Hezbollah's suspected fundraisers for the organization in Germany, mainly for giving prosecutors additional investigative powers. However, they emphasized that these measures were inadequate.

The United States and Israel are calling on Germany to completely ban Hezbollah activity, and reject claims that its political and military arm are separate entities. Earlier this year, Britain passed such a law, while the EU only defines Hezbollah's military wing as a terrorist organization.

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Hezbollah fighters listen to Nasrallah's speech (Photo: Reuters)

Hezbollah forces in Lebanon during speech by secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah on August 25, 2019 (Photo: Reuters)

The Foreign Ministry welcomed the decision made at the Bundestag, saying it presents things as it is: "Whole Hezbollah is a terrorist-supported Iran, with no fictitious distinction between military and political arm. Hezbollah not only threatens Israeli citizens but also undermines sovereignty Lebanese and destabilizing regional stability. We hope that other countries in Europe will take similar steps with regard to Hezbollah following the Bundestag decision. "

Foreign Minister Israel Katz said: "The Bundestag decision is an important step in the joint international fight against terrorism, especially against Hezbollah and its patron Iran. The world must unite against Hezbollah, declare it a terrorist organization and impose heavy sanctions on it that prevent it from carrying out terrorist activities on its mission."

(First update 15:48)