EU’s inclusion of Hezbollah on the list of terrorist organisations
9.9.2020
Priority question for written answer P-004922/2020
to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
Rule 138
Frédérique Ries (Renew)
On 28 August 2020, the United Nations renewed its peacekeeping mission to Lebanon (the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL), which has monitored the Lebanon-Israel border since the 2006 war. This renewed presence of UNIFIL is an opportunity for the European Union to change its neutral position in the region. This is particularly relevant in the case of pro-Iran Hezbollah, which over the last 20 years has had a real grip on life in the country, ousting the military and carrying out attacks all over the world. UNIFIL’s mandate has been strengthened and in particular allows it to physically or electronically inspect sites where violations of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1701 (2006) are suspected of occurring. But this will not be enough to eradicate Hezbollah’s dominance in Lebanon.
- 1.Why does the EU continue to distinguish between ‘armed wing’ and ‘political movement’, a distinction that Hezbollah itself publicly rejects?
- 2.The United States, the United Kingdom and, more recently, the Netherlands and Lithuania see Hezbollah for what it is: a terrorist organisation. Does the EU intend to do the same and put an end to this unfounded distinction?
- 3.Will the EU also demand Hezbollah’s disarmament, in accordance with UN resolutions and the Ta’if Agreement?