Israel Slams EU over Reluctance to Blacklist Hezbollah

Israeli Home Front Commander Avi Dichter denounced Europe's hesitation in putting Hizbullah on its list of terrorist organizations.

"Asking if Hizbullah is a terror organization is like asking if Paris belongs to France," Dichter told reporters late Tuesday during a visit to France.

"Who is sleeping?" he said, Arutz Sheva. "Are we Israelis sleeping or are countries in Europe sleeping? There's no debate."

According to Dichter, "to speak about Hassan Nasrallah as someone who is only political is ridiculous."

He urged European countries to "remove the political mask Hezbollah is trying to hide behind."

Dichter's statement follows Bulgaria's recent report stating that the Lebanese organization may have been responsible for last year's bus bombing in the Black Sea city of Burgas.

Bulgaria's choice of whether to name Hezbollah as standing behind the Burgas bus bombing has been seen as pivotal as to whether the bloc will officially label Hezbollah a terrorist organization.

Only two EU countries currently label Hezbollah a terrorist organization—the UK and the Netherlands. The UK blacklists only the military wing of the Shiite organization.

Blacklisting the organization could allow regional authorities to clamp down on financial flows to the group and open the way for freezing assets linked to Hezbollah in Europe.