Israel Welcomes Austrian Parliament’s Call for Action Against Hezbollah

By: Aryeh Savir

Israel welcomed the Austrian Parliament’s decision calling for measures to be taken against the Hezbollah terror organization.

The decision, which was unanimously adopted by Parliament on Friday, calls on the Austrian Government to act against the terror organization’s activists and its supporters.

Furthermore, it also calls on the European Union (EU) to change its policy that differentiates between Hezbollah’s military and political wings.

The resolution calls for “appropriate and effective measures to act decisively against the terrorist and criminal activities of Hezbollah and its supporters in Austria.”

The Members of Parliament who submitted the resolution underscored Austria’s responsibility toward the State of Israel, asserting that “the right of Israel to exist may not be called into question.”

The resolution urges the Austrian government to work to prevent Hezbollah’s financing through money laundering activities.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi lauded the resolution as “an important decision against Hezbollah” and expressed hope that the Austrian Government will adopt their Parliament’s decision and will join the UK, Germany and the Netherlands who have recognized Hezbollah in its entirety as a terror organization.

Earlier this month, then Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz called on the United Nations’ Security Council (UNSC) to ban the Hezbollah terror organization, days after Germany made the move.

Israel, the Netherlands, the US, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Colombia, Honduras, Argentina, Paraguay, the United Kingdom, and Germany have all banned Hezbollah.

Some other countries, including the European Union, have banned Hezbollah military wing, but not its political wing, which is very powerful in Lebanon.

Back in January of this year, TPS reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the announcement by Colombia, Honduras, and Guatemala that have decided to declare Hezbollah a terrorist organization, possibly hitting a major source of revenue for the terrorist organization.

The three countries made the statement during the third Western Hemisphere Counterterrorism Ministerial conference in the Colombian capital of Bogota.

In recent months, Netanyahu and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have led an effort in several countries in Latin America to ban Hezbollah.

Netanyahu raised the issue in his meetings in recent months with many leaders. Israel’s Director of the National Security Council, the Foreign Ministry and the defense establishment also worked on the effort.

Colombia, Honduras and Guatemala joined Argentina and Paraguay, which have already banned Hezbollah.

Colombia also adopted the full US terrorist list, which includes the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Netanyahu commended the countries for joining Israel and the US “in our struggle against global terrorism. This is an important step.”

He called on additional countries to join this move.

  (TPS)