From its terror-training camps in Lebanon?s Beka Valley, Hezbollah operates a mini-United Nations of terror, with trainees coming from Al Qaeda, Chechnya, Colombia?s Medellin drug cartel, Hamas, Japan, the Balkans and Northern Ireland. Elsewhere in the world, the group?s activities are reported to include the drug trade, counterfeiting, human trafficking, not to mention your basic blood-curdling cries of jihad against the United States and Israel. Last year, the AP reported that Hezbollah had become a ?key sponsor? of terrorism against the Jewish state, funding Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and taking over ?some cells of Al Aqsa Martyr?s Brigades ? and turning them into a proxy army.?
But the European Union says no, Hezbollah is not a terrorist group.
Or, rather, the European Union says ?non,? Hezbollah is not a terrorist group, because, of course, it is La France that is most vigorously warding off Hezbollah?s scarlet ?T.? Which makes Paris a good and plenty picturesque place for demonstrations to begin. So what if Jacques Chirac said the timing is not right for the terror-tag, even after the disco bombing in Tel Aviv last month, which Israel attributes to Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and Syria. Where France is concerned, it never is the right time.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah?s Nasrallah himself -- Walid Jumblatt?s idea of a great leader and, not incidentally, Jacques Chirac?s idea of a great guest (he honored the terror kingpin with an invitation to a Francophone summit in 2002) -- has given the European Union the best possible reason to declare his terrorist organization, well, a terrorist organization. As reported by World Net Daily, Nasrallah told Al Manar, which is Hezbollah TV, that being designated a terrorist organization by the European Union would ?destroy? Hezbollah. ?The sources of (our) funding will dry up,? he said, ?and the sources of moral, political and material support will be destroyed.?
This is a stunning statement. First, Nasrallah is saying that it is Europe and its blessing -- and its political and material support -- that are keeping his hellish organization in business in the first place. He is also saying that a little diplomatic name-calling (?terrorist?), plus the diplomatic measures that follow from it, are all it takes to rid the planet of Hezbollah. Logical question: Why doesn?t the European Union get the paperwork going toute de suite? Horrifying answer: It doesn?t want to.
In fact, all that?s happening with the European Union?s list of terror organizations right now is a French and Spanish effort to remove Hamas, Hezbollah?s terrorists-in-arms, from the list. Which just goes to show that democracy in action is not always a cause for celebration.