Hezbollah No Longer Designated Terrorist Group by Arab League | SDAFA

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Hezbollah No Longer Designated Terrorist Group by Arab League | Avi Melamed article for SDAFA – Strategy, Defence and Foreign Affairs


3-minute read

The Situation

Members of the Arab League have collectively agreed to no longer label Hezbollah a terrorist organisation.

โ€œIn earlier Arab League decisions, Hezbollah was designated as a terrorist organisation, and this designation was reflected in the resolutions,โ€ Hossam Zaki, the assistant secretary-general of the Arab League, stated on Saturday, 29 June.

โ€œThe Leagueโ€™s member states concurred that the labelling of Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation should no longer be employed,โ€ Zaki said, adding that the Arab League โ€œdoes not maintain terrorist lists and does not actively seek to designate entities in such a manner.โ€

Assessment

Guest analysis by Avi Melamed, a regional analyst and former Israeli intelligence officer.

The Arab Leagueโ€™s departure from considering Hezbollah a terrorist organisation announced this weekend by Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki during his visit to Lebanon, should be viewed through the context of the Arab League trying to dialogue directly with Iranโ€™s proxies, specifically Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, hoping that the theory of appeasement will result in de-escalation from both. 

The move was met with significant backlash online, including from the people of Lebanon, who argue they are being held hostage by Hezbollahโ€™s ever-escalating exchange of fire with Israel, and the threatened full-scale conflict both Hezbollah and Israel have threatened. 

Iran designed its network of proxies as hostage-takers. They will extract as large a sum as possible and the current step by the Arab League wonโ€™t likely make an impact, most certainly not for Zakiโ€™s home country, Egypt, which continues to suffer major economic losses from the Houthi harassment of commercial through the Red Sea.

Image Credit: Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons


Avi Melamed is a former Israeli intelligence official who went on to serve as deputy and then as senior Arab affairs adviser to Jerusalem Mayors Teddy Kollek and Ehud Olmert, operating as a negotiator during the first and second intifadas. He is the author of โ€œInside The Middle East | Entering A New Era,โ€ and his latest docuseries, โ€œThe Seam Line,โ€ available on the Izzy streaming platform, focuses on Jerusalemโ€™s flashpoints and his work during the intifadas.


Hezbollah No Longer Designated Terrorist Group by Arab League | Avi Melamed article for SDAFA – Strategy, Defence and Foreign Affairs

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Avi Melamed
Avi Melamedhttps://insidethemiddle-east.com
Avi Melamed is an expert on current affairs in the Arab & Muslim World and their impact on Israel & the Middle East. A former Israeli Intelligence Official & Senior Official on Arab Affairs, Fluent in Arabic, English, and Hebrew, he has held high-risk Government, Senior Advisory, Intelligence & Counter-Terrorist intelligence positions in Arab cities & communities - often in very sensitive times - on behalf of Israeli Government agencies. He is the Founder & CEO of Inside the Middle East | Intelligence Perspectives - an apolitical non-partisan curriculum using intelligence methodology to examine the Middle East. As an Author, Educator, Expert, and Strategic Intelligence Analyst, Avi provides Intelligence Analysis, Briefings, and Geopolitical Tours to diplomats, Israeli and foreign policymakers, global media outlets, and a wide variety of international businesses, organizations, and private clients on a range of Israel and Middle East Affairs.

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