Interior Minister Avraham Poraz (Shinui) told an Indian newspaper today that Hezbollah is not a ‘‘terrorist group, but a political movement in Lebanon’’.
His statements came in a wide-ranging interview with The Indian Express last week, while he was on vacation in India. The interview revered to the controversial deal with the Shiite terrorist group Hezbollah, brokered by PM Ariel Sharon, in which 400-odd Palestinian terrorists and 20 Lebanese prisoners would be released, in exchange for the bodies of three Israeli MIA’s and kidnapped businessman Elchanan Tenenbaum.
Poraz said that although Shinui voted against the swap, he would defend Sharon’s right to carry out the deal. ‘‘What to do with terrorism is complicated,’’ he said, adding, ‘‘This is not a political deal, but a humanitarian one. Also, Hezbollah is not a terrorist group, but a political movement in Lebanon. What they are doing is guerrilla activities on the border of Israel, but they are not terrorists. Terrorists belong to Hamas and Islamic Jihad.’’
The Israeli Minister compared Israel’s ‘‘problems with its Muslim minority and (the fact) that India has a Muslim minority’’, pointing out that in any case, Tel Aviv had a much stronger defense relationship with India than it does with Pakistan. ‘But although the Islamic country has condemned the growing relationship between India and Israel, ‘We are not interested in any conflict with Pakistan,’’ he added.
His statements came in a wide-ranging interview with The Indian Express last week, while he was on vacation in India. The interview revered to the controversial deal with the Shiite terrorist group Hezbollah, brokered by PM Ariel Sharon, in which 400-odd Palestinian terrorists and 20 Lebanese prisoners would be released, in exchange for the bodies of three Israeli MIA’s and kidnapped businessman Elchanan Tenenbaum.
Poraz said that although Shinui voted against the swap, he would defend Sharon’s right to carry out the deal. ‘‘What to do with terrorism is complicated,’’ he said, adding, ‘‘This is not a political deal, but a humanitarian one. Also, Hezbollah is not a terrorist group, but a political movement in Lebanon. What they are doing is guerrilla activities on the border of Israel, but they are not terrorists. Terrorists belong to Hamas and Islamic Jihad.’’
The Israeli Minister compared Israel’s ‘‘problems with its Muslim minority and (the fact) that India has a Muslim minority’’, pointing out that in any case, Tel Aviv had a much stronger defense relationship with India than it does with Pakistan. ‘But although the Islamic country has condemned the growing relationship between India and Israel, ‘We are not interested in any conflict with Pakistan,’’ he added.