Israel urges Austrian gov't to blacklist Hezbollah

By Zein Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israel on Sunday welcomed a call by the Austrian Parliament for the EU to blacklist Lebanese group Hezbollah.

"This is a significant decision against Hezbollah," Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said. "I hope that Austrian government adopts the parliamentary decision and joins the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands who recognized Hezbollah in its entirety as a terror organization."

On Friday, the Austrian Parliament unanimously adopted a resolution calling on the government to declare Hezbollah a terrorist group.

The resolution also calls on the EU to change its policy that differentiates between Hezbollah’s military and political wings.

Last month, Germany outlawed all of Hezbollah activities and designated the entire movement a terrorist group.

In 2013, EU member states banned Hezbollah’s armed wing but resisted pressure from the US and Israel to outlaw the group entirely.

In Lebanon, Hezbollah is recognized as a major political party and plays a role in the country’s complex power structure.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara