Designating Hezbollah as a Terrorist Organization Under Australia’s Criminal Code

The following is an excerpt from Dr. Levitt's testimony before the Australian Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security. Download the PDF to read the full version.

There is no doubt that Lebanese Hezbollah fulfills the statutory requirements under the Australian Criminal Code for continued designation as a terrorist organization. However, it is my expert recommendation to the Parliamentary Joint Committee that renewal of this partial designation—to include only the group’s External Security Organization—is insufficient. Hezbollah is structured and operates as a singular organization, a fact that the group’s own leaders proudly proclaim. Moreover, Hezbollah politicians and civilian organizations are deeply involved in the group’s terrorist and militant activities. As a result, an increasing number of countries and international organizations have moved to designate the entirety of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Slovenia, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Serbia, Lithuania, Kosovo, Argentina, Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala, Paraguay, the Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council, Bahrain and more...