Despite the fact that German intelligence says the number of members and supporters of the terrorist group Hezbollah has increased in Germany, Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel refuses to name Hezbollah a terrorist group.
According to the Jerusalem Post, the German intelligence report stated that as anti-Semitism is rising in Germany, the number of Hezbollah members and supporters climbed from 950 in 2017 to 1,050 in 2018; 150 Hezbollah operatives are working in Lower Saxony. The report covers 2018 and was released on May 22, 2019.
The intelligence report added, “Hezbollah denies the right of existence of the State of Israel and fights it with terrorist means. In Germany, the followers of Hezbollah maintain organizational and ideological and cohesion in local mosques associations that are financed primarily by donations. Hezbollah is against the idea of international understanding and the peaceful coexistence of peoples. The ‘party’ of Hezbollah was founded under the authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran, representing the most radical party of the Lebanese Shi’ite community.”
The report stated that the Iranian regime’s revolutionary system and the “teaching of the Iranian revolutionary leader [Ruhollah] Khomeini” are used as a model by Hezbollah.
The Jerusalem Post noted, “On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel that he wishes Germany would ‘follow Britain’s example’ and outlaw the terrorist group. The United Kingdom proscribed all of Hezbollah a terrorist entity in February … Germany and the EU defined Hezbollah’s so-called military wing a terrorist entity while allowing for its ‘political’ wing to raise funds, recruit new members and spread jihadi and lethal antisemitic ideologies in Europe.”
U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell has been absolutely fierce targeting Hezbollah; on Sunday he tweeted, “Allowing Hezbollah supporters to organize freely is creating instability and fear. Hezbollah is on the hunt for more money to fund more terror – they must be stopped.”
On Saturday, Grenell tweeted, “Today we marched against Al Quds in Berlin – and my team asked me to wear a bulletproof vest because of their hate and support for terrorism. This group should be widely condemned.”
The Jerusalem Post asked if the German government would plan to ban Hezbollah, but Merkel wouldn’t answer.
Yet the U.S. Embassy tweeted: “We call on Chancellor #Merkel and FM @HeikoMaas to ban #Hizballah from #Germany. Hizballah’s founding intent is the destruction of Israel. #Hezbollah.”