Yair Lapid aims to persuade Europe against Hezbollah
“It is time for you to stop closing your eyes and blinding yourself to these facts. It is a joint war of all of us,” Lapid said.
By GIL HOFFMANUpdated: DECEMBER 1, 2017 00:24Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid meets in Amsterdam Thusday with Dutch foreign minister Halbe Zijlstra.(photo credit: Courtesy)
Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid began an effort in Amsterdam on Thursday to get Europe to take action against Hezbollah.Lapid attended a meeting of the ALDE, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, a coalition of dozens of centrist parties from across the continent that champion liberal democratic values.Currently, the Netherlands is the only European country that does not differentiate between purported political and military wings of Hezbollah.Lapid is trying to get more European countries to follow Amsterdam’s lead.“I am here to convince centrist parties in Europe to take the lead in ending the fake distinction between a military and political wing of Hezbollah because that distinction just doesn’t exist,” Lapid told The Jerusalem Post from Amsterdam.“Hezbollah is one terrorist organization and it should be banned entirely. This is a European interest as well as an Israeli one because Hezbollah is raising funds and recruiting volunteers on European soil,” he said.Lapid addressed the Dutch Foreign Affairs Committee and then met with Foreign Minister Halbe Zijlstra. Over the weekend, he will meet with senior officials from other European countries attending the event.“We are very worried about the Iranians grounding themselves in Syria,” Lapid told the Foreign Affairs Committee.“Iran is the largest sponsor of terror in the world, providing weapons to terrorist organizations that are active in Europe. It is time for you to stop closing your eyes and blinding yourself to these facts. It is a joint war of all of us.”Lapid told the committee the idea that “in Europe, Hezbollah can raise funds, open offices and act freely is absurd.”
Following his meeting with Zijlstra, Lapid wrote on Twitter that they discussed the situation in the Middle East and, in particular, the dangers of Iran and Hezbollah.“We must stand together in the fight against terrorism,” Lapid wrote.
