3

Some years ago and after the start of the Syrian war, Europe considered Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, while during the Syrian war this organization defeated terrorists such as daesh and alnusra in several battles and in the same time the US is attacking the terrorists and have accomplished nothing.

Hezbollah was created since the beginning to fight back the occupation of Lebanon by Israelis and defeated them.

So why is it considered as a terrorist organization ?

Improve this question
3
  • 3
    Can you provide some references to support the claim? Adding some references helps in understanding your question better and also providing more appropriate answers.
    – Alexei
    Commented Jun 15, 2018 at 9:07
  • @Alexei the media supporting Hezbollah says a thing and the media opposing the organization says the opposite, that's why this is a "question". To be objective one should look from both sides.
    – medukrin
    Commented Jun 15, 2018 at 9:18
  • This question is a bit imprecise. Europe consists of over 40 countries, and hundreds of million inhabitants. You may be referring to the European Union terrorist blacklists or to opinion polling on the majority of the inhabitants?
    – Treatynotifier
    Commented Jun 15, 2018 at 20:05

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
11

The Telegraph reported in 2013

Britain and Holland overturned the EU’s previous opposition to the blacklisting, which follows evidence suggesting that the radical Shia movement based in south Lebanon was behind a suicide bombing in Bulgaria last year that killed five Israeli tourists and their Bulgarian driver.

...

Mr Hague [UK Foreign Secretary, said] "the EU has sent a clear message that it stands united against terrorism. It shows that no organisation can carry out terrorist acts on European soil, such as the appalling attack in Bulgaria one year ago, without facing the consequences,”

...

A key factor behind the new policy was Hizbollah’s intervention in Syria’s civil war on the side of President Bashar al-Assad. The decision was taken unanimously by all 28 EU members

The article also states this applied to the military wing of Hizbollah, it did not affect UK or EU aid and support to the government of Lebanon.

So the EU considered Hizbollah's military wing a terrorist organisation because of its terrorist actions in Europe (and presumably elsewhere).

Improve this answer
4

"Terrorist" is a label that is given due to the nature of the actions, not due to the goals of the organization. In the Syrian war, al-Nusra and Daesh also sometimes battled each other, but none of them ceased to be a terrorist organization.

If you found an organization that subscribes to a world of love, peaceful coexistence, and human rights, and try to achieve this by terror attacks, you have founded a terror organization. This is independent of the goals, and thus it is irrelevant to the question if Hezbollah was effective (or more effective than the US army) against Daesh or al-Nusra.

A terror attack is by definition an attack whose primary goal is to instill terror and fear. Hezbollah has repeatedly carried out such attacks in the past, and thus is listed as a terror organisation by the EU.

(Of course, in reality politics is much more reluctant to act if the organization is more in line with the own interests than if it poses a threat; compare the very different actions in the EU against Daesh with those against the Kurdish Worker's Party (PKK), although both are listed as terror organizations.)

Improve this answer
9
  • Thank you for the definition and explanation, but can you give a reference for "Hezbollah has repeatedly carried out such attacks in the past" because this claim is the goal of the question, I'm Lebanese btw
    – medukrin
    Commented Jun 15, 2018 at 9:15
  • 1
    @isammour: For example see references in en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…
    – RedGrittyBrick
    Commented Jun 15, 2018 at 9:22
  • 1
    It might be worthwhile to do some research and find out the reasons stated by the EU for designating Hezbollah a terrorist organization. I tried and all I could dig up is this notice, but it only says it's a terrorist organisation now, but not why. Maybe you have more luck?
    – Philipp ♦
    Commented Jun 15, 2018 at 9:23
  • 1
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/… Note that most of the attacks were in the 80s and 90s (specifically those that Hezbollah confirmed), but although these types of attacks have ceased in the last years, Hezbollah never apologized or renounced this way of fighting. Note that other organizations that for long time did not carry out terror attacks, like the Basque ETA, are also still listed as terror organizations in the EU. You don't need to have recent terror attacks for this.
    – Thern
    Commented Jun 15, 2018 at 9:24
  • @Philipp This may indeed prove difficult (I had no luck either up to now), but given the fact that there have been terror attacks in the 90s that Hezbollah took responsibility for, it would be more difficult to justify why they should NOT be labeled a terror organization.
    – Thern
    Commented Jun 15, 2018 at 9:30
2

In short, because it's an organization that perpertuated a long list of terrorist attacks (by most common definition of terrorism).

You can find full lists elsewhere (E.g. Wiki), but let's highlight two big ones:

Improve this answer
0

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .