German government bans Hezbollah — Interior Ministry

[Valin]

Deutsche Welle

Authorities have designated Hezbollah a terrorist organization and banned its activity on German soil. Police are currently conducting raids on four associations linked to the Islamist group.

4/30/20

German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer on Thursday banned Hezbollah activities in the country, his ministry spokesman said on Twitter. 

He also confirmed that "police measures are underway in several federal states concurrently," and added that even in times of crisis, the "rule of law is able to act."

The police raids are focused on four mosque associations in Berlin, Dortmund, Bremen and Münster accused of belonging to Hezbollah.

Germany has also classified it as a terrorist organization.

"Hezbollah openly calls for the violent elimination of the State of Israel and questions the right of the State of Israel to exist," the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

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Initial reactions

The American Jewish Committee praised Germany’s move to ban Hezbollah, calling it a "welcome, much-anticipated and significant German decision" in a statement. 

"We now hope other European nations will take a close look at Germany’s decision and reach the same conclusion about the true nature of Hezbollah," wrote AJC CEO David Harris. "Permitting its [Hezbollah’s] 'political' wing to operate on European soil allows for active recruitment, fundraising, and the poisonous spread of anti-Semitism," the statement read. 

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[Valin]

Antisemitic al-Quds rally cancelled in Berlin following ban of Hezbollah

Berlin's Mayor Michael Müller has faced intense criticism over the years for not seeking to ban the al-Quds march.

Benjamin Weinthal

MAY 1, 2020

BERLIN — The organizer of the annual anti-Israel al-Quds Day rally, which is attended by Hezbollah operatives, pulled the plug on its mid-May event in the heart of Berlin after the German government banned all Hezbollah activities within the territory of the federal republic.

The office of the Berlin Senator of the Interior, Andreas Geisel, tweeted on Thursday: "The organizer of the al-Quds march canceled today the demonstration for this year. Interior Senator Andreas Geisel: We are all spared one of the most disgusting antisemitic events. Good news for Berlin."

Berlin’s city-state has permitted the Iranian regime-sponsored demonstration to proceed each year since 1996. The current Berlin government and its social democratic party mayor Michael Müller have faced criticism over the years for not seeking to legally ban the al-Quds march. Müller's administration said it would lose a legal battle to outlaw al-Quds.

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[Valin]

Germany's Partial Ban of Hezbollah: A Half-Measure

Soeren Kern
May 2, 2020

The German government, after years of equivocating, has announced what amounts to a partial ban on the Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah — Arabic for "The Party of Allah" — in Germany.

The so-called ban — supported by the center-right Christian Democrats and the center-left Social Democrats, the two parties that make up Germany's ruling coalition, and also by the classical liberal Free Democrats — has been hailed as "important," "significant," and "long overdue."

The ban is in fact a compromise measure between German lawmakers who want to take a harder line against Iran and those who do not. As a result, the ban falls far short of a complete prohibition on Hezbollah and appears aimed at providing the German government with political cover that allows Germany to claim that it has banned the group even if it has not.

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[Valin]

Mossad gave Berlin intel on Hezbollah ops on German soil ahead of ban — report

Unnamed Israeli official tells TV Germans were provided info on warehouses where terror group stashed materials for explosives, as well as money laundering networks

By TOI staff and Agencies

2 May 2020

Israel’s Mossad spy agency gave information to Germany on Hezbollah’s activities on its soil ahead of the country banning the Lebanese terror group this week, Channel 12 news reported Saturday.

Germany branded the entirety of the Iranian-backed group — both the military and political wings — a “Shiite terrorist organization” on Thursday, with dozens of police and special forces storming mosques and associations across the country linked to the group.

 

According to the TV report, Israel carried out a months-long delicate operation to assess the group’s operations in Germany and presented its findings to German intelligence and law agencies.

Mossad reportedly gave Germany information about warehouses in the south of the country where Hezbollah stashed hundreds of kilograms of ammonium nitrate, a material used to make explosives.

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[Valin]

OTOH...............

Germany Allows Mullahs' Terror Banks Amid Coronavirus

Majid Rafizadeh
May 4, 2020

• "Germany was again Europe's largest trading partner with Iran by far, exporting $1.64 billion worth of goods in 2019. While German banks have been largely reluctant to finance Iran trade, there are at least five banks – all owned/operated by Iran and all operating inside Germany – that are more than happy to step in." – Daniel Roth, "Germany's Iran Banks," United Against Nuclear Iran April 7, 2020

• One of the sanctioned banks freely doing business in Hamburg, Germany, is Bank Melli. It is the largest bank owned by the Iranian regime, and when it comes to revenues, it ranks first, followed by bank Mellat.

• Another major Iranian bank also still conducting business in Hamburg Germany is Bank Sepah. Bank Sepah, also owned by the Iranian regime, has been sanctioned by the US Treasury Department and has links to the regime's ballistic missile program. According to United Against Nuclear Iran, "Bank Sepah has provided 'direct and extensive financial services' to Iran's key ballistic missiles procurement and development agencies, including Aerospace Industries Organization (AIO) and its subsidiary, Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group (SHIG)."

• By trading with the Iranian regime and allowing Iran's sanctioned banks freely to operate in Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel's government is empowering the ruling mullahs and their regime. They are not only the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism; they are also racing to develop clandestine nuclear weapons and the missiles to deliver them.

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[Valin]

Iran Threatens Germany with 'Consequences' for Banning Hezbollah Terrorist Group

Vijeta Uniyal   

Saturday, Ma]y 2, 2020

The Iranian regime has threatened Germany with “negative consequences” after Berlin banned Shia Islamic terrorist group Hezbollah from operating on its soil. German police raided several Hezbollah-linked mosques across the country and moved to freeze funds of the Iranian-sponsored terrorist outfit.

Angered by Germany’s anti-terrorism operation against Hezbollah, Tehran issued a thinly-veiled threat on Saturday. “The German government must face the negative consequences of its decision in the fight against real terrorist groups in the region,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry warned.

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