BALESTINIANS TEMP PEACE DEAL WITH ISRAEL-THEN DESTROY THEM

Livni, Bennett call for one chief rabbi instead of two

Ministers vow to unite Sephardi, Ashkenazi chief rabbis into a single position, detach chief rabbinate from religious courts

By Haviv Rettig Gur July 25, 2013, 3:06 pm 0-the times of israel

Following a long, cantankerous race for chief rabbi, two coalition partners have promised to pass a reform of the institution, though a more modest one than many critics have called for.Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, the son of former chief Sephardi Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, and Rabbi David Lau, the son of former chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, were elected Wednesday to reprise their fathers’ respective roles.In a letter to the chief rabbi candidates sent earlier this week, Religious Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni said they would advance a bill in the current Knesset to unite the two chief rabbi positions into a single overarching rabbinic post.The bill has yet to be drafted, and spokespeople for the two ministers’ parties, Jewish Home and Hatnua, told The Times of Israel this week it may take months to write. There’s no hurry, as the new chief rabbis were elected to 10-year terms. If it passes, the law would only affect the next term, which would begin after the 2023 rabbinate election.The bill is also seeks to improve the religious court system by removing the chief rabbi from the role of chief dayan, or religious jurist. According to existing rules, the two chief rabbis serve in that capacity in alternating five-year terms. The new bill would detach the chief rabbi post from the rabbinic courts and empower the jurists themselves to select a chief dayan from their own ranks.The bill is an initiative of Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Eli Ben Dahan (Jewish Home), who served for 21 years as director-general of Israel’s rabbinic court system.“The chief rabbi isn’t always a dayan,” explained an official of the Religious Affairs Ministry involved in the initiative. “A dayan has to know the material, the law.”

Besides, the official added, “the chief rabbi job is a busy one. He has to travel, give rulings on different issues.” The new structure would enable the chief rabbi to focus on the job, while giving the religious courts a more expert hand at the helm, the ministry believes.The bill will likely fail to satisfy the demands of the rabbinate’s many critics, one of the most vocal of whom is Finance Minister Yair Lapid.“An institution that was irrelevant beforehand to the lives and worldviews of many Israelis, will continue to be so for the next 10 years,” Lapid charged in a statement on Facebook on Thursday.“Those who wish to use the services of the rabbinate are, of course, welcome to do so, but it’s inconceivable that there is no alternative. The time has come for civil unions that will offer a solution also for the LGBT community, for those who are not Jews, and for all the beautiful Israelis who simply want to marry without interference from the religious establishment,” Lapid said.“This will be a dirty and probably prolonged political battle, but we will carry on the fight,” he promised.Rabbi Uri Regev, director of Hiddush, an organization that advocates the separation of religious institutions and the state, said on Thursday that “there are few government bodies that muster as much disdain toward Judaism and distances Jewish Israelis from their religion as the Chief Rabbinate.”“Israel must return to the authentic Jewish tradition of supporting rabbis who operate by the virtue of voluntary acceptance of their authority and leadership by their communities, not by riding on coercive civil laws and political manipulation,” Regev insisted.Earlier this month, Transparency International’s 2013 Global Corruption Barometer revealed that a large majority of Israelis believe their state religious institutions to be profoundly corrupt.Seventy-three percent of Israelis said the country’s religious institutions were either “corrupt” or “extremely corrupt,” putting Israel in 3rd place among 107 countries surveyed in terms of the public perception of corruption in religious institutions. Only Sudan (79%) and Japan (74%) had higher figures.The survey also asked respondents how corrupt they believed the institutions to be on a scale from 1 to 5, where 1 is “not at all corrupt” and 5 is “extremely corrupt.” Israel’s religious institutions scored 4.1, tied with Sudan and Japan for first place.

LIKE I SAID YESTERDAY.THE REDICULAS CONSPIRACY THEORIES ABOUT BABY GEORGE-ALEXANDER-LOUIS HAVE STARTED. OF COURSE THE WORST CONSPIRACY THEORY IS THAT LITTLE GEORGE IS A ZIONIST JEW AS THE ISRAEL HATERS CALL ZIONISM.WHEN THE TRUE MEANING OF A ZIONIST IS.THAT GOD PROMISED THE JEWS THEIR LAND FOREVER AND WILL KEEP HIS PROMISE TO ISRAEL.SO I AM A TRUE ZIONIST FOR ISRAEL.NOT LIKE THE FRAUD ISRAEL HATERS.THE ISRAEL HATERS BLAME EVERYTHING ON ISRAEL.FROM CONTROLLING THE BANKS TO CONTROLLING QUEEN ELIZABETH AND HER THRONE.SO THIS STORY SHOULD BE NO SURPRISE.

His Royal Highness. Future Birthright Israel participant, 2031'? No.

Middleton, Shmiddleton. Britain’s new royal heir is not a Jew

Despite the claims of dubious experts, unnamed Sephardi rabbis, and an Iranian news agency, Prince George will not be England’s very first Yiddishe monarch

By Miriam Shaviv July 25, 2013, 11:22 am 5- the times of israel

 

The Prince of Cambridge, George Alexander Louis, July 23, 2013. The boy will be third in line to the British throne. (photo credit: AP/John Stillwell, Pool)

LONDON – In the classic Monty Python movie “Life of Brian,” the hapless title character is accosted by a crowd that believes he is the Jewish Messiah. None of his denials makes the slightest bit of difference — quite the opposite: “Only the true Messiah denies His divinity,” says one girl.A similar situation seems to be unfolding in Britain where, no matter how many experts issue denials, the crowds online seem ever more insistent that Kate Middleton is descended from Jews — and that therefore, the new royal baby, Prince George Alexander Louis, will not be the latest in a long line of Protestant kings, but England’s very first Yiddishe monarch.Just three days old, the young prince has already managed to unite two usually opposite camps, the anti-Semites and the Jews. It’s hard to tell who’s keener on the idea.Even Birthright has got in on the act, creating an infant garment which says on the front, ‘His Royal Highness. Future Birthright Israel participant, 2031′-On the anti-Semitic side, there are endless forums discussing whether Kate is “tainted” by Jewish blood, while Iran’s Mehr News Agency warns, in mangled English, that her marriage ceremony in Westminster Cathedral was a sham.“This lady’s family roots show that she is considered a Sephardic Jew from her mother’s side. Moreover the timing of the wedding and the way it was held which was based on Jewish culture verify the evidences…. William’s marriage as the inheritor of the crown to a Jewish girl will leave the future of Britain to the hands of the couple’s Jewish children.”Most of the Jewish sources quote an “Orthodox Sephardi rabbi in Israel” — unnamed, unsurprisingly – saying that Kate’s mother’s parents were both Jewish, but on the whole tend to accept that it’s probably not true. Not that anyone lets the facts get in the way of a good story: “I say we send some Chabadniks after her,” suggests thecooljew.net. “Get her to start lighting candles and going to the Royal Mikveh. Maybe William will eventually convert.”

Even Birthright has got in on the act, creating an infant garment which says on the front, “His Royal Highness. Future Birthright Israel participant, 2031.”

Britain’s Prince William, and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, hold the Prince of Cambridge, Tuesday July 23, 2013, as they pose for photographers outside St. Mary’s Hospital exclusive Lindo Wing in London (photo credit: AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

So what are the chances that the young Prince George will qualify for the free trip to Israel? Slim to none, and slim just left town.The Times of Israel approached no less an (ostensible) authority than Michael Cole, the BBC’s former royal correspondent, who had a letter published in the Times of London last month (and cited by the New York Post last week), asserting that Kate’s mother, Carole Middleton, “is the daughter of Ronald Goldsmith and Dorothy Harrison, both Jews. The parents of Dorothy were Robert Harrison and Elizabeth Temple, both Jews. Elizabeth was descended from the Myers, a distinguished 19^th century Jewish family.” Cole added in the letter: “The Duchess of Cambridge is a Jew on her matriarchal side and therefore her baby will be a Jew, according to Jewish law and tradition.” And he suggested that “a wise choice” of name might be Solomon.‘Mrs Middleton, born Goldsmith, is a talented businesswoman… You don’t have to live in a monastery to know that Jewish people are good in business’ — Michael Cole

Unfortunately for the royal Jew-hopers, Cole sounded a little more circumspect over the phone, admitting that “it is only circumstantial evidence.”Like everyone else, he relied entirely on the fact that the names in Kate’s family tree – Goldsmith, Harrison, Myers and Temple – sound Jewish, and surmises that they were originally members of the tribe. “There used to be a very strong impetus on Jewish people in Britain and elsewhere to marry out and hide their Jewish antecedents,” he told The Times of Israel.Asked whether he has any positive evidence that this is actually the case for Kate’s family, Cole explained that “Mrs Middleton, born Goldsmith, is a talented businesswoman… You don’t have to live in a monastery to know that Jewish people are good in business” – and referred us to his original source, a Jewish solicitor friend, who claimed he was “really not qualified to advise [you] properly.”According to Laurence Harris, former chairman of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain and a regular adviser to the genealogical television program “Who Do You Think You Are,” there is no evidence of Jewish branches in Kate’s family tree– “yet,” he added cautiously.The “Jewish” surnames were also used by non-Jews, and “there is no evidence of synagogue marriages or Jewish burials,” Harris noted. On the contrary, there are solid records of church weddings among Carole’s ancestors going back at least five generations.The office of the British Chief Rabbi, which keeps records of marriages in the Orthodox United Synagogue, says that previous publications debunking the Middletons’ Jewish heritage “make the issue completely clear.”While Harris accepts that this is not definitive proof either way, he noted that the ancestors largely lived in areas and pursued occupations that were not typical of Jews in that era. Carole’s great-grandfather John Goldsmith, for example, born in 1851, was a laborer in Middlesex near London. Joseph Temple, another of Carole’s great-great-grandparents, was an iron miner in Yorkshire, as was his son Thomas. Both were married in their local parish churches. Thomas’s wife, Elizabeth Myers, came from county Durham in north East England, which was not a Jewish area. Her father, Joseph, was an agricultural laborer.The rumors of Kate’s Jewish ancestry, which Harris began to research as soon as her engagement became likely, “started as soon as there was an indication of her potential involvement in the royal family,” he said.Quite why they flourish — despite all evidence to the contrary — is unclear. Perhaps it’s just too much fun to speculate about the Jewish royals, rather than admit for once and for all — with apologies again to Monty Python — that the new Prince George is “not a Jewish king. He’s a very naughty goy!”

It takes three to peace tango, Netanyahu quips

Regional Cooperation Minister Silvan Shalom, meanwhile, hopes renewed talks with Palestinians could start Tuesday in Washington

By Stuart Winer July 25, 2013, 2:23 pm 0-The times of Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday expressed hope for a determined effort by the Palestinians to attain significant results in the upcoming round of peace talks, which may start next week in the United States.“It takes two to tango, but in the Middle East you need three,” Netanyahu told new IDF recruits at the military induction center outside Tel Aviv, Ynet news reported. “I hope that there will be a single-mindedness to achieve a peace that we can protect.”Last Friday, US Secretary of State John Kerry announced a new framework for renewed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, hosted by the United States. Several days later, Netanyahu announced that he would put any peace deal to a public referendum.As Netanyahu commented on the upcoming talks, Minister for Regional Cooperation Silvan Shalom remarked that the roundtable meetings between American, Israeli and Palestinian leaders could begin next week.“Things haven’t been finalized yet, but the hope is for talks to restart on Tuesday,” Shalom said following a visit to Jericho. “We want to move ahead with negotiations and at the same time look forward to an improvement in the Palestinian economy.”Shalom remarked that he didn’t discount the possibility that Palestinian prisoners could be released from Israeli incarceration before the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the month of Ramadan, in two weeks.Shalom attended the inauguration of a joint Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian industrial park near the West Bank city of Jericho funded by the Japanese government.The prime minister also reassured the recruits that everything was being done to ensure that planned defense budget cuts would not interfere with their training.“I hope that the cuts won’t affect you and we are attempting to see to it that you will have a continuous training regime,” he said. “I determined that the damage done to training will be minimal.”

 

Minister: Talks to Start Next Week

Silvan Shalom says Israel will begin talks with Abbas next week, and will free terrorists within two weeks.

By Maayana Miskin, Chana Ya'ar-First Publish: 7/25/2013, 2:51 PM-israelnationalnews

Silvan Shalom-Flash 90

Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority are apparently going to start next Tuesday, Minister of Regional Cooperation Silvan Shalom said Thursday.“I think the negotiations between us and the Palestinians will start next week. They’re talking about last-minute difficulties, but that’s standard for starting negotiations,” he said.Shalom met with news media at the opening of a new industrial part in the Palestinian Authority-controlled city of Jericho, in the Beka'a Valley, along the northern tip of the Dead Sea. The project is part of an effort with the strong encouragement of Israeli President Shimon Peres to promote economic cooperation between Israel, Jordan and the PA, which has continued despite the difficulties that have arisen in the diplomatic arena.One major component of the plan is the construction and operation of Qualifying Industrial Zones -- industrial facilities -- within Jordan and Egypt that can serve as centers of collaborative effort and serve as the basis for promotion of reconciliation, joint economic effort and dialogue between Israel and the PA.The current project involves ongoing join efforts between Israeli and PA leaders to launch new industrial and economic projects to create new local businesses and job growth that will promote ongoing cooperation, sources said.Shalom called to be patient regarding the matter of terrorist release. Israel is likely to begin releasing terrorists within two weeks, in time for the Muslim holiday of Id el-Fitr, he said.However, he warned, the release could take longer, as the matter may need government approval and not only Cabinet approval.“Israel is coming into talks with good will, with the goal of making progress, but without preconditions,” Shalom said.
“The negotiations will not be based on the ’67 lines’ and there will not be a building freeze,” he added.

Palestinian Minister Hints Peace Deal Would Be Temporary Arrangement Before Conquering Israel Outright

Sharona Schwartz July 24, 2013 Israel

As Secretary of State John Kerry pushes full steam ahead to try to bring the Israelis and Palestinian back to the negotiation table, a new video is casting doubt regarding true Palestinian intentions and tactics. Palestinian Authority Minister of Religious Affairs Mahmoud Al-Habbash in an on-camera sermon on Friday hinted any peace deal secured would secretly be only a short-term arrangement by comparing it to a truce the Muslim prophet Mohammed negotiated but broke two years later.This is just the latest example of Palestinian leaders discussing their stepwise plan to liberate Palestine from the "river to the sea," starting with the late Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat.

Palestinian-Minister-Habbash

Palestinian Authority Minister of Religious Affairs Mahmoud Al-Habbash delivers sermon at Friday Ramadan prayers (Screenshot: Palestinian Television)

At the Friday Ramadan services, which were attended by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and broadcast on Palestinian television, Habbash explained to Muslim worshipers that Palestinian Authority officials "only through the wisdom of the leadership, conscious action, consideration, and walking the right path" are headed toward "achievement, exactly like the Prophet [Mohammad] did in the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, even though some opposed it."Palestinian Media Watch - an Israeli research institution that translates anti-Israel broadcasts in the Palestinian media - explains that the Hudaybiyyah peace treaty of 628 A.D. refers to "a 10-year truce that Mohammad, Islam's Prophet, made with the Quraish Tribe of Mecca. However, two years into the truce, Mohammad attacked and conquered Mecca."The Religious Affairs Minister emphasized that Mohammed's choosing the path of negotiation with an enemy was not "disobedience" to Allah, but was rather "politics" and "crisis management."Indeed, he broke the peace treaty two years later and conquered Mecca.The Palestinian minister called Mohammed's example "the model" to be followed.According to a transcript provided by Palestinian Media Watch, Habbash explained how Mohammed's followers who weren't enlightened as to his true intentions were upset. "The hearts of the Prophet's companions burned with anger and fury. The Prophet said: 'I'm the Messenger of Allah and I will not disobey Him.' This is not disobedience, it is politics. This is crisis management, situation management, conflict management," Habbash said, adding, "Allah called this treaty a clear victory."In his sermon, Habbash made a distinction between the Palestinian Authority strategy and Hamas which rules Gaza, saying "All this never would have happened through Hamas' impulsive adventure." In his speech, he insisted that "We hate war. We don't want war. We don't want bloodshed, not for ourselves, nor for others. We want peace."
The Palestinian Authority has been insisting to Kerry that it will only negotiate on the basis of the pre-1967 borders, which means it refuses to agree to anything less than a full Israeli withdrawal from Judea and Samaria (West Bank) and east Jerusalem, including the Old City, the Western Wall and the Temple Mount which is the holiest site in the Jewish religion. Some Israeli officials refer to those borders as "Auschwitz borders," because it would leave Israel only nine miles wide at its narrowest point.If Palestinian officials say this is just a stepping stone, the suggestion is that the true goal is to take over all of the land of Israel as part of a future Palestinian state. Note the Palestinian Authority is  considered by the U.S. and Europe to be the more moderate Palestinian leadership, as opposed to the Islamist Hamas which states openly that its goal is to destroy the State of Israel.PMW writes, "Since the signing of the Oslo Accords, there have been senior PA officials who have presented the peace process with Israel as a deceptive tactic that both facilitated the PA's five-year terror campaign against Israel (the Intifada), and which will weaken Israel through territorial compromise that will eventually lead to Israel's destruction."In an article discussing Friday's sermon, Palestinian Media Watch provided past quotes from Palestinian officials touting the same piecemeal peace negotiations tactic.In 1994, Arafat also compared the Olso Accords to the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah saying, "This agreement [the Oslo Accords], I am not considering it more than the agreement which had been signed between our Prophet Mohammad and Quraish..."Arafat was speaking at a mosque in Johannesburg and did not know that he was being recorded on audiotape.Fatah Central Committee member Abbas Zaki in 2011 tried to calm critics of the peace agreement with Israel, explaining, "the President [Mahmoud Abbas] understands, we understand, and everyone knows that it is impossible to realize the inspiring idea, or the great goal in one stroke.""If I say that I want to remove it [Israel] from existence, this will be great, great, [but] it is hard. This is not a [stated] policy. You can't say it to the world. You can say it to yourself," Zaki told Al Jazeera.Palestinian Authority Representative for Jerusalem Affairs Faisal Husseini said in 2001, "This effort [the Intifada] could have been much better, broader, and more significant had we made it clearer to ourselves that the Oslo agreement, or any other agreement, is just a temporary procedure, or just a step towards something bigger.""We distinguish the strategic, long-term goals from the political staged goals, which we are compelled to temporarily accept due to international pressure. ... [Palestine] according to the higher strategy [is]: 'from the river to the sea.' Palestine in its entirety is an Arab land, the land of the Arab nation," Husseini added.Here is the video of Habbash's Friday sermon excerpted and translated by Palestinian Media Watch:

Op-Ed: The EU, A Nobel Peace Prize Laureate's DoubleStandard

Published: Thursday, July 25, 2013 11:08 AM

 The author, Andreas Boldt is the founder of a German pro Israel Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/Freunde.Israels
My profile on FB:
www.facebook.com/xBoas
Link to the mentioned quote:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-11-792_en.htm

The EU should look at its member countries more carefully before it criticizes others.

About seven months ago, the European Union was awarded the Nobel Peace prize. How would you expect someone who is awarded with a peace prize to act? Let’s see what this award winner does to keep it peaceful on our planet.To  many foreigners  Europe seems to be a wealthy and very peaceful continent. But having a closer look at Europe reveals some disturbing details. Here are some examples:Great Britain, a well-respected member of the EU, is in control of the Falkland Islands, which geographically belong to Argentina. Why does Great Britain have the right to extend its borders and include islands thousands of miles away from Europe? This is not the only thing to say about Great Britain. The conflict over Northern Ireland is yet not over and that Ireland conflict is a very bloody one, with lots of terror attacks.Spain, another member of the EU, has borders that include the land of the Basque people. There has been much terror because of this very fact – but no one really cares. No one i the international commuity has joined the Basque people in support of its right to an independent state.Turkey is not yet a member of the EU, but a very important trade partner. The EU invested millions in Turkey despite the fact that the Kurdish people also feel occupied and desire an independent state.These conflicts seem to be not relevant to politicians in Europe and elsewhere. Also, the EU has no problems in investing in China - which occupies Tibet. The EU is constantly dealing with dictatorships. But when it comes to democratic Israel, the EU  feels like they must finally show how just and peaceful the “Nobel Peace Prize winner” is.Does the EU really care about the Arabs in Judea and Samaria? Thousands of Arabs work in Israeli companies today. The EU boycott will force companies to fire employees.Actually, however, we have an example from the past, when the EU did exactly the opposite in order to support peace between two nations – in the Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus.
Here is the official press release from the EU in June 2011:“Brussels, 27 June 2011 - Today the European Commission approved €26.5 million of funding for the Turkish Cypriot community.  These funds will focus on measures to promote reconciliation and confidence building. Beneficiaries will include civil society organisations, schools, farmers, villages, SMEs.Commenting on the decision, EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle said: "These 26,5 million euro demonstrate the continued commitment of the EU to the Turkish Cypriot community and to a Cyprus settlement. The activities implemented by the Commission with this fresh funding are reunification-driven, underlining the EU's expectations for a successful end of the talks towards reunification of the island.""The whole Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community will total €28 million in 2011. €1.5 million has already been approved earlier this year to fund the EU Scholarship Programme for the academic year 2011/2012."Today's decision builds on the earlier €259 million multiannual aid programme. This programme was fully contracted by 2009, with projects running until 2012.”So, when it comes to the occupied territories of Northern Cyprus, financial aid is seen to be helpful in bringing peace and unity. When it comes to the disputed territories in Judea and Samaria, how is i that financial aid is believed to bring the opposite? This is a  double standard and cannot be accepted.I am a German and an EU citizen  -  and I call my German government  to do  whatever possible in the EU to stop this double standard. I also call to all Europeans who are struggling for justice and democracy: Let’s not accept this. We can all contact the EU via email and ask them to reconsider their decision.

AIRPLANES

ISAIAH 31:5
5 As birds flying,(PLANES) so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem;(WITH PLANES) defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it.(NUKE OR BOMB ISRAELS ENEMIES)

US, Israel Air Forces on 2-Week 'Juniper Stallion' Exercise

The US and Israeli air forces are carrying out a two-week set of joint maneuvers designed to improve interoperability in the air.-By Chana Ya'ar-First Publish: 7/25/2013, 10:13 AM-Israelnationalnews

Juniper Stallion exercise-Photo: courtesy of IDF

The U.S. and Israeli air forces are carrying out a two-week set of joint maneuvers designed to improve interoperability in the air.
The exercise, “Juniper Stallion 13" is a combined, bilateral F-15 and F-16 air to air exercise aimed at fine-tuning cooperation between the two air forces.The drill, began last week in Israel, and which has been in planning for more than a year, is expected to continue for two weeks.U.S. European Command said the exercise is an annual training event with “no relation to current real-world events.”While Israeli and American pilots are fine-tuning their skills in the skies, soldiers from the IDF Kfir Infantry Brigade have been training with sophisticated robots.The elite special forces of the Lavi Battalion are also learning how to fight terrorists in tunnels beneath the surface of the Earth.“We understand that in the next war, the brigades will need to face a different kind of enemy,” company commander major Baruch Ram told the IDF Blog.He added that a scenario in which soldiers are forced to deal with combat in shrubland – terrain with dense vegetation – as well as urban areas and underground terrain as well, “all three terrains in one battle, is likely.”

Hezbollah: EU listing gives Israel licence to kill

Today @ 09:25-JULY 25,13

By Andrew Rettman BRUSSELS - Lebanese group Hezbollah has said the EU listing of its military wing makes the Union a party to any future Israeli assault.Its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, made the statement on TV after a sunset meal on Wednesday (24 July) with women who work for the Islamic Resistance Support Association, a Hezbollah fundraising outfit.He said: "They are giving legal cover to Israel for any attack on Lebanon, because Israel can now claim to be fighting terrorism and to be bombing terrorist targets."He noted that the blacklisting, decided by EU foreign ministers on Monday, undermines European countries' sovereignty because it was made under Israeli and US pressure."Some EU member states considered the step to be illegal, but they yielded to intimidation," he said.He called the move an "insult" to Lebanese "resistance fighters."But he said the related asset freeze will not make a difference because "we don't have money in European banks."
He added the EU should blacklist the Israeli army, the IDF, because it is an illegal occupying force which frequently kills Arab civilians."Those who kill, commit massacres, occupy land, and prevent an entire nation [Palestine] from returning to its territory, aren't they terrorists?" he said.Amid fears by some EU states the listing could destabilise Lebanon, Nasrallah warned the country's caretaker government not to "exploit" the European decision by trying to form a new cabinet without its people.He joked that Hezbollah ministers in the future Lebanese government will come from its military staff, after the EU said it wants to keep talking to Hezbollah politicians.But in a sign the group itself is keen to maintain contact, Hezbollah's website notes that one of its top foreign policy officials, Ammar Moussawi, will meet with the EU ambassador in Beirut, Angelina Eichhorst, on Thursday.Hezbollah is a Shia Muslim group formed during the Lebanese civil war in the 1980s.It claims victory in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict - which saw the death of some 1,000 Lebanese and 40 Israeli civilians - because it held back the IDF for 33 days before Israeli forces withdrew from Lebanon.Meanwhile, one motive for the EU listing is Hezbollah's recent defeat of Western-backed Sunni Muslim rebels in fighting around the Syrian town of Qusair.For his part, Alastair Crooke, a former British intelligence officer who now runs an NGO in Beirut, told EUobserver the Qusair story is more complicated than it sounds.He said when Lebanon gained independence in the 1940s, several Shia Muslim villages ended up in Sunni-majority Syria in the Qusair region. When the villages came under attack by Sunni rebels, they first formed town militias and then called for Hezbollah intervention."It is a grave mistake for the EU to take sides in the [Syrian] civil war," he said.