{"id":4926,"date":"2020-05-12T15:57:23","date_gmt":"2020-05-12T03:57:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/israelinstitute.nz\/?p=4926"},"modified":"2020-05-12T16:07:58","modified_gmt":"2020-05-12T04:07:58","slug":"nz-should-join-allies-in-banning-hezbollah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/israelinstitute.nz\/2020\/05\/nz-should-join-allies-in-banning-hezbollah\/","title":{"rendered":"NZ should join Allies in banning Hezbollah"},"content":{"rendered":"

For some time, <\/span>IINZ has urged the government<\/span><\/a> to recognize the fact that there is no distinction between the \u2018military and political wings\u2019 of <\/span>Hezbollah<\/span><\/a>, the terror organisation supported by Iran.<\/span><\/p>\n

Currently, New Zealand has only designated the military wing as a terrorist entity, which allows a loophole for Kiwis to materially support global terror.<\/span><\/p>\n

The \u201cmilitary wing\u201d is an interesting distinction, given Hezbollah\u2019s own leaders deny there is any division within the organisation. Deputy secretary-general, <\/span>Naim Qassem, declared in 2012<\/span><\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have a military wing and a political one \u2026 Every element of Hezbollah is in the service of the resistance.\u201dNaim Qassem<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He added, unequivocally: \u201cWe have one leadership, with one administration.\u201d In short, Hezbollah is a unified organization, and its jihadist purpose is central to its existence.<\/span><\/p>\n

The United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, Israel, the Gulf Cooperation Council and Bahrain, amongst others, have not seen fit to artificially separate Hezbollah into any \u2018wings\u2019 and have designated the entire group as a terror organization.<\/span><\/p>\n

In recent years more countries have taken the step of banning the organisation in its entirety:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n