Britain to ban Hezbollah — ‘a terrorist organization destabilizing the Middle East’

The UK is to ban Hezbollah in its entirety for threatening stability in the Middle East and posing a threat to Britain’s national security.

The proscription will make membership of the movement or inviting support for it a crime punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment, ministers said on Monday.

Hezbollah’s military wing is currently banned in the UK — but the government said it is no longer possible to separate the political arm, which is based in Lebanon and supported by Iran, from the rest of the organization.

From Friday, the group will be banned in its entirety as a “terrorist organization,” following repeated calls from campaigners and outrage over the display of the Hezbollah flag, which features a Kalashnikov assault rifle, at demonstrations in London.

“We identify and ban any terrorist organization which threatens our safety and security, whatever their motivations or ideology which is why I am taking action against several organizations today,” Home Secretary Sajid Javid said.

“Hezbollah is continuing in its attempts to destabilize the fragile situation in the Middle East — and we are no longer able to distinguish between their already banned military wing and the political party. Because of this, I have taken the decision to proscribe the group in its entirety.”

The ban is subject to a vote in the UK Parliament this week.

Hezbollah’s External Security Organization and its military wing including the Jihad Council were proscribed by the UK in 2001 and 2008, respectively.

The Shiite militant movement was established in 1982 during the Lebanese civil war, and the group is now a major political party in Lebanon. Its capture in 2006 of two Israeli soldiers sparked Israel’s 2006 war with Lebanon, in which 1,200 people were killed.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said in Monday’s statement that the move to blacklist Hezbollah did not change the UK’s commitment to Lebanon.