Hezbollah

Hezbollah (Arabic ‮حزب الله‬, meaning Party of God, for other designations or alternative spellings, see 'name 'part of this article) is a political and military party in Lebanon founded in 1982 to fight Israel in southern Lebanon. It is regarded by many in the Arab and Muslim world as a legitimate militant Shia political party in Lebanon and by many in the Western world, by various non-Arab governments, and by the Israeli government as an Islamist terrorist or Islamic fundamentalist organization. In addition to its military wing, Hezbollah maintains a civilian arm, which runs hospitals, various news services, and eductional facilities.

Designations

Hezbollah has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/pgtrpt/2000/2450.htm the United Kingdom http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/lebanon/intro/, Canada http://www.osfi-bsif.gc.ca/eng/publications/advisories/index_supervisory.asp?#Supterhttp://www.osfi-bsif.gc.ca/eng/documents/advisories/docs/entstld.txt and Australia http://www.ag.gov.au/www/attorneygeneralHome.nsf/Alldocs/9F22AF531A4693F2CA256D66007C1F14?OpenDocument; the U.S. Department of State notes that Hezbollah has killed more than 300 American citizens (over 200 of whom were U.S Marines in Lebanon.) Russia has only recently begun to draw up a list of organizations it classifies as terrorist, which may reflect that of the EU http://www.cdi.org/russia/johnson/7029-5.cfm. The European Union has designated Hezbollah's External Security Organization or international wing as "terrorist".

Related Topics:
United States - United Kingdom - Canada - Australia - U.S Marines - Lebanon - Russia - European Union

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On March 10 2005 the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly (473 in favor 33 against) on a resolution branding Hezbollah in whole as a terrorist organization. The resolution stated that the "Parliament considers that clear evidence exists of terrorist activities by Hezbollah. The (EU) Council should take all necessary steps to curtail them"http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/550729.html. The EU has also decided to block Hezbollah's Al-Manar television from European satellites due to its 'anti-Semitic' content and promotion of terrorism. http://www.daneshjoo.org/publishers/currentnews/printer_1668.shtml. The United Nations has not included Hezbollah on its list of terrorist groups (which is just being drawn up). However it has called for the disbanding of Hezbollah's military wing in UN Security Council Resolution 1559.

Related Topics:
March 10 - 2005 - Al-Manar - Anti-Semitic - UN Security Council Resolution 1559

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Hezbollah has denounced some acts of terror, like the September 11 attackshttp://cfrterrorism.org/groups/hezbollah2.html and the murder of Nick Berghttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3710057.stm. As a stated aim of Hezbollah is the destruction of the state of Israel, it expresses support and sympathy for the http://www.unb.ca/web/bruns/9900/issue14/intnews/israel.html for the activities of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Islamist terrorist groups responsible for violence and suicide attacks in Israel.

Related Topics:
September 11 attacks - Nick Berg - Hamas - Islamic Jihad - Islamist terrorist - Suicide attacks

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