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EU Parliament condemns Iran and Hezbollah for Lebanon’s economic, political morass

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The European Union Parliament overwhelmingly adopted a resolution on Friday that blamed the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group as one of the causes contributing to a destabilized and corrupt Lebanon.

The European Parliament overwhelmingly adopted a resolution on Friday that blamed the Iran-backed Hezbollah as one of the causes contributing to a destabilized and corrupt Lebanon.

Paragraph “S” of the resolution noted that Hezbollah, which is listed as a terrorist organization by several members of the European Union, remains in control of key ministries in the Lebanese government despite a new government being formed after its previous government resigned in the wake of an explosion in the Beirut port that killed more than 218 people, injured thousands and destroyed a swath of the capital city on Aug. 4. 2020.

It also noted that Hezbollah has shown it has a strong “ideological allegiance” to Iran and is destabilizing the Lebanese government.

The lengthy resolution provided a long list of the nation’s woes in the hopes that Lebanon’s new government under Prime Minister Najib Mikati—formed on Sept. 10 after more than a year of deadlock—will live up to its democratic promises. Otherwise, the resolution threatened to impose targeted sanctions on Lebanon for “obstructing and undermining the democratic political process.”

File photo of firefighters trying to extinguish the fire at Beirut Port following the explosion on Aug 4, 2020 in which 218 people were killed ,7000 Injured after several hundred tons of ammonium nitrate exploded . 2750 tons were stored there for nearly 7 years, reportedly for use by the Syrian regime in its barrel bombs. The shipment was reportedly confiscated by a close associate of President Michel Aoun and his son-in-law Gebran Bassil , both are allied with the Syrian regime and Hezbollah . The shipment arrived at a time when Syria was surrendering its chemical weapons to a UN backed organization for destruction . Aoun officially knew about the Ammonium Nitrate 2 weeks before the explosion but did nothing about it . He , along with his Hezbollah allies refused an international investigation but promised a local investigation that will bring the culprits to justice in less than a week but a year later and not one politician has been charged. According to an investigation by FBI only 20 % of the chemical exploded . Several intelligence reports revealed that Hezbollah shipped most of the nitrate to Syria and used the rest in Germany , UK and Cyprus (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, Beirut, Lebanon(Photo by Anwar Amro/AFP)

It also noted that due to corruption, those responsible for the catastrophe more than a year ago have not been brought to justice.

The resolution also placed blame on Hezbollah for repressing Lebanon’s 2019 popular movement and for its political and economic crisis, calling on all external powers to refrain from meddling in the country’s internal affairs and its sovereignty, and for political independence to be respected.

The resolution was adopted by the European Parliament with 575 voting in favor, 71 against and 39 abstentions.

The American Jewish Committee’s EU office, the AJC Transatlantic Institute, welcomed the resolution’s adoption in a news release on the same day.

“This must be the European Parliament’s strongest condemnation yet of Iran and their terror proxy Hezbollah for undermining the stability of Lebanon,” said its director, Daniel Schwammenthal. “European lawmakers have thus sent a clear warning to the regime in Tehran and their Shi’ite terror group that it is no longer business as usual. The Lebanese people deserve freedom, democracy and prosperity, which will be attainable as long as Hezbollah and Iran can continue to drag the country into corruption, crime and war.”

Agencies

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