Posted on 03/11/2016 12:18:27 PM PST by Citizen Zed
The Arab League labelled Shia Muslim group Hezbollah a terrorist organisation on Friday, Egyptian state media said, as tensions rise between Sunni and Shia powers across the Middle East.
Sectarian wars are raging in Syria, Yemen and Iraq, and the league has become a forum for the mostly Sunni Arab countries, led by Saudi Arabia, to air their grievances with Shia power Iran, the major backer of Hezbollah and other Shia groups in the region.
“The Arab League foreign minister’s committee has decided on Friday to consider Hezbollah a terrorist organisation,” said a statement from the Arab League carried by Egyptian state news agency Mena.
The declaration came hours after the Saudi delegation stormed out of the meeting following a speech by Iraqi foreign minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari in which he defended the Shia Hashd Shaabi militia grouping, an Iraqi foreign ministry source told Reuters on Friday.
Iraq’s army relies on the umbrella group known Hashd al-Shaabi in its battle against militant Sunni Islamic State. “In his speech (the minister) said that Hashd Shaabi and Hezbollah had preserved the dignity of the Arabs and those who call them terrorists are the terrorists,” an Iraqi foreign ministry source said.
In January, Iraq summoned the Saudi ambassador after he suggested Iranian-backed Shia militias were exacerbating sectarian tensions in Iraq.
‘Iranian interference’
The Arab League meeting on Friday also condemned what it described as continued Iranian interference in the internal affairs of Bahrain, the statement said, adding that Hezbollah, along with the Iranian revolutionary guard, financed and trained terrorist groups in Bahrain.
The Gulf island has a Shia majority population but is ruled by a Sunni dynasty.
Bahrain’s deputy foreign minister Mohammed Mubarak Sayar said in a news conference aired on Al-Arabiya channel there was a consensus on the decision but Lebanon and Iraq had reservations about it.
Saudi’s ambassador to Egypt Ahmed Kattan appeared on Al-Arabiya saying Gulf states would be taking further measures against Hezbollah.
“We will deal with Hezbollah as we deal with any terrorist organisation. Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries have begun preparing measures it will take against that terrorist party and they will be announced at the right time,” Kattan said.
Morocco said last month it would not host the 2016 Arab League meeting as scheduled, saying it wanted to avoid giving a false impression of unity in the Arab world. The Arab League meeting welcomed a French initiative calling for a global conference for peace and called for effective global measures to end the Israeli occupation of Palestine.
“Any resumption of future negotiations with regard to resolving the Arab-Israel conflict must be based on ... a specific timetable for ending the Israeli occupation of the land of the State of Palestine,” its statement said.
Those Islamic heretics (Shiites) have kept fundamental Islam from making larger gains against us Kafirs.
Shiites are no friends of ours, but they have been in conflict for 1400 years with the fundamental Sunni Muslims in the mid-east.
Like the Sunnis , Shiites want to kill us non- Muslims too, but they have been having battles against each other that distracts the Muslims from the fundamental mission of Islam - subjugating converting and killing us Infidels.
Another big distraction to our advantage, is shaping up right now in the middle East between Sunni Saudi Arabia , and Shiite Iran, plus other local groups of Muslims, as they get at each others throats. - Tom
Shites killed off Sunni Persians so Iran is now 99% Shites.
Sunnis have been killing Shite Arabs and ISIS is just one helping hand.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.