House Foreign Affairs Committee

Subcommittee on Europe

Statement of Rep. Elton Gallegly

June 20, 2007

Thank you Mr. Chairman for holding this hearing on adding Hezbollah to the EU terrorist list. I would also like to commend you for taking the lead on this issue over the past several years.

As I believe everyone in this room knows, Hezbollah is a Lebanon-based extremist organization that has a network of cells located throughout the world. Its primary sources of political, financial and organizational support stem from Iran and Syria. According to recent State Department reports on global terrorism, Hezbollah is dedicated to the elimination of Israel and the establishment of an Islamic theocracy in Lebanon. Hezbollah is also a strong supporter of Syrian influence in that country - a position clearly at odds with both the desires of the international community and the Lebanese people.

Hezbollah has been known or suspected to have been involved in numerous terrorist attacks against Americans, including the suicide truck bombing of the United States Embassy and Marine Barracks in Beirut in 1983 that killed 241 American marines and 58 French paratroopers. Elements of the terrorist organization have also been involved in the kidnapping of Americans and other Westerners. And Hezbollah has not changed its ways since as it continues to be responsible for terrorist attacks both in Lebanon and Israel.

In past years, Hezbollah has increasingly supported groups that have already been designated by the EU as terrorist organizations. It defies logic that the EU would classify these other groups as terrorist organizations and not include Hezbollah, a group that is among the most lethal terrorist organizations in the world.

Mr. Chairman, the United States Congress is firmly on record in support of the European Union adding Hezbollah to its terrorist list. As far back as March 2005, the House of Representatives passed a measure sponsored by Representative Jim Saxton urging the EU to take this action. This resolution passed by a margin of 380 to 3.

And last year, 215 members of the House signed a letter that you and I circulated that called for a unified U.S.-EU position relating to Hezbollah and further calling on Hezbollah’s inclusion on the EU terror list. That letter, I should add, was signed by both Minority Leader Boehner and Majority Leader Hoyer.

Despite this bipartisan effort, the EU has yet to take the important step of adding Hezbollah to their list. Such a step would send an unequivocal message that Europe will no longer tolerate the goals of this terrorist organization, which includes destabilizing the Middle East and continuing its campaign of terror attacks on Israel.

Given Hezbollah’s track record and recent activities, I am disappointed that it has taken this long for the EU to take this action with respect to Hezbollah. The U.S. and the EU share many common interests in the Middle East. However, none of these goals can be realized as long as Hezbollah continues to carry out terrorist attacks and its strategy of destabilizing the Middle East.