Germany prohibits Lebanese Hezbollah and classifies it as a terrorist organization

Today, the German Interior announced the banning of Lebanese Hezbollah and classified it as a terrorist organization, and carried out several raids against suspected members of the party in separate areas of the country. Berlin has for years defended its policy of distinguishing between the political wing of the party and its military wing.

Security officials believe that up to 1050 people in Germany are members of Hezbollah, and Reuters reported that security raided four associations of mosques in three states west of the country, including Berlin, and the authorities believe that these associations are linked to Hezbollah.

In late December, Parliament passed the Law Banning Hizbullah after a call to ban it by the two parties forming the ruling coalition, and called on both parties to include Hezbollah on the European Union's list of terrorist organizations.

Al-Jazeera correspondent in Berlin, Issa Al-Tibi, said that this inclusion was expected because the file took recent years in a dangerous direction. Last November, the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior, and Justice agreed to activate the Associations Law to ban the political wing of Hezbollah, after banning the military wing, as was done in all European countries years ago.

Berlin has been defending over the past years its position not to ban the political wing of Hezbollah, saying that this will harm relations with Beirut and its government, noting that the party has a social role in Lebanon.

The presence of the party
and Hezbollah has large popular bases in Germany, and the intelligence services describe it as a highly ideological organization, whether in direct action as a political organization or the non-political work represented in its affiliated societies.

The Al-Jazeera correspondent indicated that accusations have been made to German intelligence that Hezbollah is using the country as an interface to raise funds for its benefit, through the societies it administers in economic fields or through smuggling and money laundering.

With this decision, Germany joins the Netherlands, Britain, and Canada with a comprehensive ban on Hezbollah on its soil, which was what the United States and Israel were calling for Berlin to ratify.