Zac Goldsmith MP said it is “deplorable” and “indefensible” that Hezbollah remains free to operate in the UK, and called for a complete ban of the organisation, in an article published in the Jewish News this week.
The article follows a House of Commons debate last week, where Mr Goldsmith made a number of interventions and MPs from across all parties urged the Government to proscribe Hezbollah.
In his article, the Richmond MP underlined: “Clearly it is deplorable that Hezbollah remains free to operate within the UK after almost four decades of terrorism and vile incitement to violence against Israel, Jews and the West”.
He emphasised: “The Government’s misguided position on Hezbollah is untenable. Simply, there is no difference between the so-called ‘military wing’ and ‘political wing’ as Hezbollah. The only difference is in UK policy; not in reality”.
As a result of this “indefensible distinction”, Mr Goldsmith explained, the “organisation’s flag, which features an assault rifle, can be flown freely on the streets of Britain”.
Mr Goldsmith called for the UK Government to “judge Hezbollah by the totality of its actions”, adding that “Hezbollah’s well-documented criminal, terrorist, and militant activities, including on mainland Europe, must not be absolved simply because it also engages in political or humanitarian ones within Lebanon”.
Concluding his article, Mr Goldsmith argued that “Joining our closest ally America, together with Canada, the Netherlands and the Arab League, in proscribing Hezbollah would send a strong message that the UK Government abhors terrorism in any form”.
Click here to read Zac Goldsmith MP’s article in full.
