The German parliament on Saturday voted down a nonbinding resolution seeking to outlaw the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization, thus limiting its ability to raise funds in Germany through charity organizations.
Hezbollah's military wing was outlawed by Germany in 2013.
The resolution, stating that Hezbollah represents a "danger to [Germany's] constitutional order," was presented to a Bundestag vote by the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) but was rejected by the Christian Social Union, the Social Democratic Party, the Left, the Greens, Free Democrats, and Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union.
The Shiite organization has been designated as a terrorist group by several western countries, including the U.S., the U.K., Canada and Israel, as well as by Arab League member Bahrain. Some countries, such as Australia, France and Germany, only classify Hezbollah's military wing as a terrorist organization.
Those who opposed the bill argued that it would be "more appropriate" to deal with the classification of Hezbollah through the European Union's institutions.
"If we really want to outlaw the group, then a decision in that regard should be taken at the European level," said CDU's MP Roderich Kiesewetter.
The AfD slammed the vote's results.
"Hezbollah must be banned in Germany," said AfD deputy Beatrix von Storch, who helped draft the bill. She called the group a "terrorist organization" whose goal is the "destruction of Israel."
