Switzerland may ban terrorist organization Hezbollah
A full ban of Hezbollah’s activities in Switzerland would mean that the Lebanese organization’s symbols would be banned and its bank accounts and assets seized and frozen within Swiss territory
By BENJAMIN WEINTHALA SUPPORTER with the Hezbollah logo painted on his face poses for a picture during a rally marking the 10th anniversary of the end of the 2006 war, in Bint Jbeil, southern Lebanon, on August 13, 2016.(photo credit: AZIZ TAHER/REUTERS)
The central European country Switzerland may follow the decision made by its neighbor Germany and ban all Hezbollah activities within its territory.The Swiss federal council agreed on Wednesday to examine an application titled “Report on the activities of the Shi’ite Islamist Hezbollah in Switzerland.” The Jerusalem Post reviewed the application that could lead to a full ban of the global terrorist movement Hezbollah in Switzerland.The initiative was launched by the Christian Democratic People’s Party of Switzerland, when party politician Marianne Binder submitted the initiative in June.The language of the anti-Hezbollah legislative initiative reads that “On April 30, 2020, Germany banned all activities of the Shi’ite Islamist Hezbollah. Germany justified the decision with the fact that Hezbollah is calling for armed struggle and rejecting Israel’s right to exist.”The initiative continues that “The EU previously banned the [military] arm that engaged in terrorist activities. It is not known which activities Hezbollah is developing in Switzerland. In view of the neutrality of Switzerland, however, the activities of Hezbollah cannot be legitimized and a report is also advisable for reasons of security policy.”A full ban of Hezbollah’s activities in Switzerland would mean that the Lebanese organization’s symbols would be banned and its bank accounts and assets seized and frozen within Swiss territory.In addition to Germany, the United Kingdom, Lithuania and the Netherlands have banned the entire Hezbollah organization. The European Union merely outlawed Hezbollah’s so-called “military arm” in 2013 and allowed its “political arm” to operate and raise funds and recruit new members for the umbrella Hezbollah movement in Beirut, Lebanon.The Arab League, Israel, the US, Canada and many Latin American countries have designated Hezbollah’s entire entity a terrorist movement.Former US ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell played a crucial role in convincing Germany’s government to ban all of Hezbollah activities in April.
