Why Australia classifies Lebanese Hezbollah on terrorism list

Mohamed Yosry

The Lebanese Hezbollah, which is loyal to Iran, is facing a state of international restrictions on its activities in many countries of the world, especially in the countries that used to deal with it on the basis that it was two wings, the political wing that includes doves and the military wing, and these countries have strong justifications for not separating these two wings.

Global ban and different justifications

The number of countries that have banned Hezbollah has reached 14 countries around the world, including Germany, Canada, Austria, the United States, Britain, the Netherlands, Argentina, Honduras, Paraguay, Kosovo, Slovenia, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

However, there are some countries that separate the political and military wings of the party, as does the European Union, which claims that Hezbollah is part of the Lebanese government.

In May, Germany announced its ban on Hezbollah’s activity after noticing a significant growth in the number of its members, and the German authorities monitored its activity and discovered the involvement of some parties in financing suspicious activities.

The justifications for each of these countries for classifying Hezbollah as a terrorist group vary according to the movements of Hezbollah-affiliated members within these countries.

On the other hand, according to the relations of these countries with the Middle East and the Palestinian issue, some of them stem from their interests with Israel, which is ostensibly hostile to Hezbollah.

These countries refuse to allow Hezbollah to take their lands as a theater for its suspicious operations in the Middle East, in addition to posing a threat to their own internal security.

Australian justifications

Australia has recently joined the list of countries that classify Hezbollah on the terrorist list and do not differentiate between its military and political wings. This classification includes a ban on belonging to the group in Australia and preventing its members and supporters from entering the country, in addition to prohibiting the transfer of funds for its benefit from any citizen or resident in Australia.

The Australian government’s justification for this measure came given that the party has become a threat to its security.

Australian Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said in her justifications announced on Wednesday, November 24, that the Iranian-backed armed group “continues to threaten terrorist attacks and provide support to terrorist organizations,” adding that it poses a “real” and “credible” threat after Australia was content with only designating Hezbollah’s military wing as terrorist since 2003.

According to the London-based newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, it is estimated that the number of Lebanese residing in Australia reaches approximately 300,000, most of whom are of Lebanese descent, while a smaller number were born in Lebanon and immigrated to Australia during the early years of the civil war between 1976 and 1981.

Most of them reside in the cities of Sydney and Melbourne, and among them are a number of businessmen active in various fields.

While the majority of the Lebanese in Australia are Christians, there is a minority of the Shiite community estimated at 20 percent of the Lebanese population in the country.

The Lebanese community in Australia has faced accusations in the past that a number of its members were involved in the crimes of arms smuggling, drug trafficking and money laundering, and a number of them were sentenced to prison terms, while others who did not obtain Australian citizenship were deported.

Recent years have witnessed a remarkable activity by Hezbollah in Australia, and the authorities have brought many accusations against Lebanese belonging to the group of running illegal activities on its territory, including planning terrorist operations.

Australia’s decisions are also linked to its NATO allies, who have taken similar measures against Hezbollah.