October 27, 2005
The United States Senate has unanimously passed a resolution urging administration of president George W. Bush to designate the Hezbollah-sponsored al-Manar television station as a terrorist group. The measure, sponsored by the senators Bill Nelson (Democrat) and Gordon Smith (Republican) passed last Thursday. The State Department has already placed the Hezbollah-affiliated broadcaster on the terrorist exclusion list, which restricts its ability to operate or broadcast in the United States. Placing it on the foreign terrorist organization list would allow American authorities to seize initiate prosecutions against sponsors and affiliates in the US. Hezbollah, the militant Lebanese group that has continued attacks on Israel since its withdrawal from Lebanon five years ago, is on the foreign terrorist organization list. Al-Manar has repeatedly raised funds for Hezbollah and broadcast anti-Semitic material. A number of European nations have also banned it from their satellite platforms.
