Justice Ministry, Weinstein intimately involved convincing EU to blacklist Hezbollah

Government sources says, law can be sword for Israel, not just a shield.

By YONAH JEREMY BOB
Netanyahu and Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein 370 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Netanyahu and Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein 370
(photo credit: REUTERS)
A senior government source told The Jerusalem Post that the Justice Ministry and Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein were “intimately and directly involved” in government-wide efforts to convince the European Union to blacklist Hezbollah’s military wing as a terrorist group.
The source said the involvement proved that legal arguments, including presenting assembled evidence of many other countries that had designated Hezbollah as a terrorist group as well as case law on the issue, can be used not merely as a shield, but also as a sword.
“Until now, many might have thought that government legal departments could only be used to fight off the Goldstone Report and similar threats,” said the source.
The source added that while Israeli diplomats had been integral on the diplomatic push, it might have been thought that battles such as blacklisting Hezbollah were exclusively diplomatic concerns.
“Now it is clear that real legal arguments regarding the war on terror can also be used to affirmatively achieve certain goals,” the source continued.
According to the source, it was significant that Weinstein himself, the most senior government lawyer in the country, discussed the issue with his counterparts in European countries, though he is normally viewed as having a mainly domestic role.
Next, the source indicated that “obviously we are gratified by the decision,” although the source noted that it would be even better if Hezbollah’s political wing was also blacklisted, as the source saw no legal or factual basis for distinguishing between them.