Dutch Foreign Minister's "Bold Call" for EU Action on Hezbollah

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Sep 07, 2012, 09:58 ET

NEW YORK, Sept. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal's push for the European Union to designate Hezbollah a terrorist organization is "a bold call to action by the Netherlands," said AJC Executive Director David Harris.

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Speaking in Amsterdam, Rosenthal said that "the Netherlands has made another appeal to European Union members to place Hezbollah on the EU list of terrorist organizations."

The Netherlands is the only European country to date that has formally labeled Hezbollah a terrorist organization. The United Kingdom has designated the military wing of Hezbollah as a terrorist group, but not the organization as a whole.

"All other EU member states, led by those that have themselves been victims of Hezbollah terrorism, should join the Dutch initiative," said Harris. "Further hesitation in properly designating this Iranian-sponsored group -- or continuing to portray it as a 'legitimate' political entity -- imperils European and, indeed, global security."

AJC last month sent letters to the foreign ministers of all 27 EU member states, the first step in a renewed campaign to urge the EU to formally designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.

"The EU as a whole should be among the very first to understand the true nature of Hezbollah," said Harris. "Yet, it trails behind the United States, Israel and fellow EU member state Netherlands in acknowledging the stark reality of Hezbollah's long-standing terrorist agenda on European soil and elsewhere -- and responding accordingly."

SOURCE American Jewish Committee