Following the bomb attack against Israeli travelers in Bulgaria, World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder has urged the European Union leadership to put Hezbollah on its list of terrorist organizations. Reacting to reports which confirmed that the Iranian-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah was behind the terrorist attack, Lauder said: “With this act, Hezbollah and its Iranian have declared war on Europe. Yet Europe’s politicians and public opinion-shapers don’t appear to be overly concerned with the impact of what happened, and if they do, they mostly express their concerns about a possible Israeli reaction.”
Lauder said: “Less than seven days after the terrorist attack, Europe already seems to have moved on. Everything looks like business as usual. However, a number of questions remain: How can one explain that Hezbollah is still not listed as a terrorist organization by the European Union? If it were, it would have a much harder time conducting fundraising activities through a number of European charities, or recruiting fighters in Europe. Why do leading European media still lend credibility to Hezbollah by calling it a ‘resistance group’ or sugarcoating it as a 'militant movement'? Why do European leaders hardly ever talk about Iran’s actions as a sponsor of international terrorism? Is it because Hezbollah is perceived in Europe as only being one of the legitimate players in that distant, troubled region called the Middle East?”
The WJC president said the Burgas bombing, in which eight people were killed and more than 20 inured, bombing happened at an EU airport where security ought to be tight.” He went on to say: “Now is the time for the leaders of the European Union to show their true colors. If they really want to have peace and security in the Middle East they must act forcefully against the terrorists and their backers."
“Israelis going to Europe on vacation or on business rightly expect the highest security standards to be in place. Our communities in Europe expect that governments provide safety for Jewish sites and allow Jewish life to flourish. Terrorist attacks are not acts of God. They can be avoided if warnings are taken seriously and if terrorist organizations and their sponsors are recognized as such,” Lauder declared.
