Israel: Calling Hizbullah a Charity is Like Dubbing Qaida an Urban Planner

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations has criticized the European Union for regarding Hizbullah as a legitimate political organization, urging it to designate the party a terrorist party.

“Calling Hizbullah a charity is like calling al-Qaida an urban-planning organization because of its desire to level tall buildings,” Ambassador Ron Prosor told the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday in an open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

Referring to the Bulgarian government's accusations of Hizbullah's involvement in a deadly bus attack on Israeli tourists last year, the envoy said: “The terrorist attack demonstrated once again that the organization's activities are not limited to the Middle East and that its fingerprints can be found on five continents - from Kenya to Argentina, Thailand, India, Europe and the United States.”

“The thesis that Hizbullah has a military arm and a political arm which operate independently of one another - has collapsed,” he said.

The bus bombing at the Burgas airport killed five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian driver in July last year.

Bulgaria's findings, announced last week, brought renewed pressure on the European Union from the U.S., Israel and Canada to designate Hizbullah a terrorist organization and to crack down on its fundraising operations across Europe.

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov has said that in a Feb. 18 meeting of EU foreign ministers Bulgaria's position will be made clear, and that the EU should also send a clear message to Hizbullah.

The EU has so far resisted calls to blacklist Hizbullah or declare it a terrorist organization.

Prosor also noted the alleged assistance given by Hizbullah and Iran to Syrian President Bashar Assad in his fight against rebels seeking to topple his regime.

“Assad is not alone. Among his advisers are (Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan) Nasrallah and (Iranian President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad, two experts who are notorious for their oppression and harming of innocent civilians,” he told the Council

“Hizbullah has provided arms, training, and logistical support for tens of thousands of Assad’s men. It has assisted the Syrian military in cracking down on dissidents so that Assad can cling to power,” he said.

“It does not take a Nobel Peace Prize laureate to realize that we are not exactly dealing with a selfless humanitarian organization,” Prosor added.