ZOA strongly supports the bi-partisan letter being sent by members of Congress to the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Cyprus asking the European Union (EU) to designate Hizbollah as a terrorist entity. Last month, the EU decided to allow Hizbollah to continue to operate in Europe as a political party. Cyprus currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU and so is in a position, should it choose, to attempt to secure a consensus to overturn the EU’s cowardly decision. Leading this bi-partisan Congressional effort are Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA).
Hizbollah is a terrorist organization with a long record of barbaric and horrific crimes. They are responsible for the recent attack in Bulgaria that killed 7 Israeli tourists, including a pregnant woman. They have routinely launched missiles into Israel from Lebanon, and they have imported thousands of missiles into that country in blatant violation of the UN Security Council. Hizbollah is directly sponsored by Iran, and functions as a part of Iran’s military establishment. The letter notes that “In the last year alone, Hizbollah and its partners in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force, have been implicated or are suspected to be behind attempted and successful terror plots in the United States, Turkey, Pakistan, Thailand, Azerbaijan, India, Georgia, Kenya, Cyprus and Bulgaria.”
It is hoped that since the attack in Cyprus was foiled and the apprehended terrorists were conclusively identified as Hizbollah operatives, Cyprus should be anxious to designate the terrorist organization for what it is and to avoid duplicity. Unfortunately, the EU operates by its own timetable and requires consensus to make any decision. Individual EU member states, including the Netherlands and the UK have taken action against Hizbollah, but ZOA feels strongly that more robust action is required. PLEASE CONTACT your House Member and ask them to sign on to the letter originated by Reps. Waxman and Royce. Phone 202.225.3121 & ask for your Member of the House of Representatives. Alternatively, you can obtain this information through our website by CLICKING HERE. * * * The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) is the oldest and one of the largest pro-Israel organizations in the United States. With offices around the country and in Israel, the ZOA educates the public, elected officials, the media, and college/high school students about the truth of the ongoing Arab war against Israel.
The ZOA works to strengthen U.S.-Israel relations through educational activities, public affairs programs and our work on Capitol Hill, and to combat anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias in the media, in textbooks, in schools and on college campuses. Under the leadership of such presidents as Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, Rabbis Abba Hillel Silver and Stephen Wise, and current President Morton A. Klein, the ZOA has been – and continues to be – on the front lines of Jewish activism.
Our Mission
ZOA STATEMENT
The ZOA speaks out for Israel – in reports, newsletters, and other publications. In speeches in synagogues, churches, and community events, in high schools and colleges from coast to coast. In e-mail action alerts. In op-eds and letters to the editor. In radio and television appearances by ZOA leaders. Always on the front lines of pro-Israel activism, ZOA has made its mark.
Center for Law & Justice
We work to educate the American public and Congress about legal issues in order to advance the interests of Israel and the Jewish people.
We assist American victims of terrorism in vindicating their rights under the law, and seek to hold terrorists and sponsors of terrorism accountable for their actions.
We fight anti-Semitism and anti-Israel bias in the media and on college campuses.
We strive to enforce existing law and also to create new law in order to safeguard the rights of the Jewish people in the United States and Israel.